VALUE  OF  THE  CLASSICS 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


1 


VALUE  OF  THE  CLASSICS 


For  what  is  the  life  of  man,  if 
memory  of  the  past  be  not  in- 
woven in  the  life  of  later  times. 

Quid  est  aetas  hominum,  nisi  ea 

memoria  rerum   veterum   cum 

superiorum  aetate  contexitur  ? 

Cicero:  Orator,  120 


PRINCETON  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
PRINCETON 

LONDON:  HUMPHREY  MILFOKD 

OXFORD  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

1917 


A  record  of  the  Addresses  delivered  at  the  Con- 
ference on  Classical  Studies  in  Liberal  Education 
held  at  Princeton  University,  June  2,  1917,  together 
with  an  introduction  and  a  collection  of  statements 
and  statistics.  The  Addresses  are  printed  in  the 
order  of  the  Conference  programme.  The  state- 
ments are  arranged  under  their  main  headings 
partly  in  geographical  and  partly  in  topical  order. 

The  editing  of  this  book  has  been  done  by  Dean 
Andrew  F.  West  with  the  cooperation  of  Professors 
F.  F.  Abbott,  Edward  Capps,  Duane  Reed  Stuart, 
Donald  Blythe  Durham  and  Mr.  Theodore  A. 
Miller.  The  statistical  material  has  been  furnished 
in  part  by  Professor  W.  M.  Adriance,  Professor 
C.  H.  Forbes  and  Professor  Harris  Hancock,  and  in 
part  by  the  College  Entrance  Examination  Board, 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  and  various 
colleges  and  schools. 


Copyright,  1917,  by 
PRINCETON  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

Published  October,  1917 
Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


Athens  in  Education 

So  far  has  our  city  left  behind  the  rest  of  men 
both  in  thought  and  speech  that  her  pupils  are 
become  teachers  of  the  others ;  and  she  has  caused 
the  name  of  the  Greeks  to  stand  as  no  longer  the 
name  of  a  race,  but  as  the  name  of  knowledge. 

TOCTOVTOV  8'  o/TroXeXoiTrez/  r)  770X15  r)fJLO)v  irepl  TO 
(f>povelv  Kal  \eyeuv  TOU?  aXXous  dv0pa>Trovs,  waff  ol 
TavTrjs  [jia0r)Tal  r£>v  aXXtui/  St8ao~/<:aXot  yeyoVcun, 

Kttl  TO    TWJ/     'EXX^OJV    OVOfJLCL     TTeTTOLr)K€     /UH^KCTt     TOU 

-yeVovs  dXXct  rfjs  Stai/oiias  8o/cet^  elvai. 

Isocrates :  Panegyric  on  Athens,  50 


PREFACE 

In  education  definite  evidence  is  worth  more  than 
theorizing.  This  book  is  chiefly  an  appeal  to  facts,  and 
two  classes  of  facts  appear  in  its  pages. 

The  first  includes  the  testimony  contained  in  ad- 
dresses given  at  the  Conference  and  in  the  statements 
of  nearly  three  hundred  competent  observers  represent- 
ing the  leading  interests  of  modern  life  and  including 
many  of  the  highest  names  in  our  land.  Four  Presi- 
dents of  the  United  States  head  the  distinguished  list. 
To  make  sure  the  evidence  is  as  free  from  professional 
bias  as  is  practicable,  the  teachers  of  the  classics  have 
been  excluded  except  in  the  few  cases  where  they  hap- 
pen to  be  the  heads  or  authorized  representatives  of  in- 
stitutions and  are  thus  entitled  to  speak  for  them.  The 
statements  are  chiefly  American,  supplemented  by  a 
few  important  declarations  from  England  and  France. 
This  testimony,  with  only  occasional  variation  in  its 
degree  of  conviction  or  of  emphasis  on  one  or  another 
factor,  converges  steadily  to  one  main  conclusion,  name- 
ly, that  classical  studies  are  of  essential  value  in  the  best 
type  of  liberal  education  and  that  whenever  the  classics 
are  well  taught  the  results  are  satisfactory. 

The  second  part  is  statistical.  The  most  pertinent 
and  reliable  facts  in  the  records  of  our  schools  and  col- 
leges, so  far  as  procurable,  are  here  presented  and  ex- 
amined. They  reveal  the  general  and  decided  superi- 
ority of  classical  over  non-classical  students  in  the  chief 


vi  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

school  studies  and  in  college  studies  also.  They  also 
reveal  the  complete  inaccuracy  of  recent  assertions  that 
the  classics  are  poorly  taught  in  comparison  with  other 
subjects. 

Apart  from  a  relatively  small  number  of  testimonies, 
all  the  material  has  been  very  recently  prepared  espe- 
cially for  this  book.  It  is  therefore  a  fresh  contribution 
of  original  value  for  all  who  care  to  know  on  what  sort 
of  evidence  the  case  for  the  classics  rests  both  in  the 
records  of  our  schools  and  colleges  and  in  the  judgment 
of  many  men  of  many  minds  who  speak  from  knowledge 
born  of  experience  and  enhanced  in  value  by  their  gen- 
eral agreement.  It  is  not  the  evidence  of  mere  tradi- 
tion, but  of  newly  proved  success. 

The  book  had  to  be  prepared  in  a  short  time.  It  was 
therefore  impossible  to  treat  the  subject  exhaustively. 
With  longer  time  it  would  have  been  easy  to  fill  several 
volumes  with  added  testimonies  and  records  of  value 
from  all  parts  of  our  country.  Yet  enough  is  printed 
here  to  furnish  the  most  important,  timely  and  repre- 
sentative assemblage  of  testimonies  and  records  on  this 
subject  which  has  ever  been  presented  to  the  American 
public. 

Hearty  acknowledgment,  even  if  only  of  a  general 
sort,  is  here  due  to  all  whose  quick  and  useful  help  made 
the  prompt  issuing  of  this  volume  an  easier  task,  and 
especially  to  Arthur  Scribner,  Frank  A.  Vanderlip, 
Paul  D.  Cravath,  Philip  Rollins  and  Robert  Mc- 
Namara,  for  their  support  which  made  possible  the 
Princeton  Conference  of  which  this  volume  is  the  first 
fruits. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface    v 

I  Introduction   3 

II  Addresses  at  Conference 37 

III  Statements    131 

American 

1  Public  Life 131 

2  Business    150 

3  Universities  and  Colleges 167 

4  Schools   , 194 

5  The  Ministry   223 

6  Law   226 

7  Medicine   249 

8  Engineering    259 

9  Physical  and  Natural  Sciences 265 

10  Editors    287 

11  Modern  Literature 294 

12  History,  Political  Science,  Economics,  Phi- 

losophy, Sociology 314 

13  Fine  Arts 325 

14  Oriental  Studies 338 

British  and  French 345 

IV  Statistics 357 

V  Index  of  Contributors 389 

VI  Index  of  Topics 395 

vii 


INTRODUCTION 


THE  PRESENT  OUTLOOK 


BY  ANDREW  F.  WEST 
Dean  of  the  Graduate  School,  Princeton  University 

For  a  man  to  conquer  himself  is  the  first  and  best 
of  all  victories. 

To  viKav  avrov  avrov  iravtav  VIKWV  Trpwrt]  Tf  KOI  apio-Trj. 

Plato:  Laws  I  S 

Our  new  seriousness 

An  awakening  of  what  had  seemed  dormant  interest 
in  the  value  of  different  studies  has  happened  this  year. 
It  is  one  of  many  effects  of  an  underlying  cause.  The 
entrance  of  America  into  the  world  war,  with  all  its 
excitement,  has  made  us  more  thoughtful.  It  has 
raised  the  imperative  question:  Why  are  we  fighting? 
And  we  have  answered:  Not  from  lust  for  gain  or 
power,  but  to  save  our  civilized  freedom.  We  wake  to 
find  ourselves  face  to  face  with  the  almost  perfect 
mechanism  of  an  elaborately  organized  autocracy,  bar- 
baric in  spirit,  armed  with  every  efficient  practical  ap- 
pliance and  devoid  of  regard  for  what  we  hold  most 
dear.  It  is  again  a  war  of  "Soul  with  Sense"  and  on  a 
greater  scale  than  ever  before  in  history. 

To  meet  it  we  need  something  more  than  the  appli- 
ances of  our  foe.  We  need  the  higher  powers  of  the 
human  soul;  not  skill  and  courage  alone,  but  that  guid- 
ing wisdom  which  is  more  than  craft  and  which  springs 
from  undying  faith  in  truth  and  freedom.  It  is  the  re- 
turn in  power  of  these  simple  convictions  which  has 

3 


4  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

sobered  American  thinking.  The  invisible  things  are 
again  appearing  as  real.  We  are  asking  ourselves 
whether  they  are  not  the  only  things  on  which  to  build 
any  life  that  is  to  be  worth  the  living.  Or  are  we  mis- 
taken in  this?  and  is  the  lust  for  gain,  power  and  domin- 
ion, the  old  libido  dominandi,  the  true  guide  to  victory? 
For  a  while  we  wonder.  But  not  for  long.  For  as  we 
think  in  a  flash  of  things  like  desolated  Liege  and  Lou- 
vain,  we  are  shaken  and  are  forced  to  ask  ourselves 
whether  he  who  rules  his  spirit  is  not  "greater  than  he 
that  taketh  a  city"  and  perhaps  we  recall  Plato's  for- 
gotten words:  "For  a  man  to  conquer  himself  is  the 
first  and  best  of  all  victories."1 

What  theory  of  life  and  living  do  we  hold?  What 
kind  of  preparation  for  life  here  in  this  tempest  of  trial, 
as  well  as  for  gentler  times,  do  we  want  those  we  love  to 
have?  The  questions  will  not  down.  They  are  bound 
to  determine  our  attitude  toward  education  and  every 
other  phase  of  life.  Is  material  success  the  end  or  only 
something  subordinate  to  a  better  end?  And  is  that 
better  end  the  one  thing  which  ought  to  rule  human 
life?  Or  is  selfishness,  raw  or  refined,  the  end?  If  it  is, 
there  is  no  standard  to  save  us  from  moral  decline  and 
consequent  loss  of  freedom.  But  if  it  is  not;  if  we  are 
men  and  not  merely  examples  of  animal  behavior,  then 
we  may  help  to  save  the  modern  world  and  share  the 
glory  of  rebuilding  it  more  surely  on  its  true  foundation. 
Thoughts  of  this  sort  have  been  sounding  the  undertone 
of  recent  days  and  calling  us  to  consider  again  the  mean- 
ing of  our  life  and  our  preparation  for  life  through 
education. 

i  Laws  I  3. 


INTRODUCTION  5 

Its  practical  bearing 

This  is  not  mere  dreaming.  It  is  something  close  and 
friendly  to  the  practical  side.  No  man  of  sense  would 
do  anything  else  than  help  to  increase  the  chances  for 
our  youth  to  make  their  living  and  to  provide  amply  the 
education  needed  for  this  end.  It  is  for  the  public  good. 
Nine-tenths  of  them  must  begin  early  to  earn  their 
bread.  They  are  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  land.  They 
should  get  all  the  vocational  training  they  need.  Also, 
they  should  get  as  much  more  sound  schooling  as  they 
can  take  in  the  elements  of  general  knowledge.  For 
they  too  have  minds  and  hearts,  as  well  as  hands.  Eye 
skill  and  hand  skill  are  good,  and  mind  skill  is  better. 
If  they  are  to  be  more  than  animate  tools  doing  a  daily 
stint  of  toil,  they  need  the  joys  and  hopes  of  knowledge 
to  help  them  rise  in  the  scale  of  life  and  to  open 
glimpses  into  broad  fields  outside  the  little  lane  of  their 
vocation.  It  is  their  right. 

Is  this  to  be  our  whole  provision?  Is  there  nothing 
further  to  be  furnished,  open  to  all  who  can  take  it  and 
not  confined  to  the  few  who  can  pay  for  it?  If  so,  our 
democracy  cuts  off  from  most  of  its  youth  of  higher 
promise  their  best  chance  to  rise.  It  reduces  the  des- 
perately needed  supply  of  leaders  equipped  with  trained 
intelligence,  sons  of  the  people  who  may  render  the 
people  services  of  priceless  value,  far  outweighing  even 
the  largest  cost  of  their  education.  To  deny  them  this 
chance  is  to  waste  our  best  wealth,  both  material  and 
moral.  It  seems  strange  there  is  any  need  to  argue 
these  simple  things.  And  yet  millions  in  our  land  are 
even  now  indifferent  to  them.  So  we  have  to  learn  again 
the  lesson  that  our  public  and  private  welfare  depend 


6  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

not  only  on  virtue,  but  on  widely  diffused  intelligence, 
and  that  a  higher  education  which  really  educates  must 
be  vigorously  and  generally  sustained  unless  our  land  is 
to  sink  into  a  sort  of  mediocre  provincial  dependence  in 
the  things  which  most  concern  our  intellectual  life. 
Once  give  up  the  effort  to  rise  as  rational  beings  from 
lower  to  higher  and  from  higher  to  highest,  there  is  no 
force  that  will  hold  us  up  even  to  where  we  now  are. 
We  are  always  moving  up  or  down.  It  is  in  truth,  if 
one  dare  quote  an  old  author  again,  the  "immortal  con- 
flict" of  Plato  "now  going  on"  (he  speaks  as  if  today) 
"and  calling  for  marvellous  vigilance."  And  then  he 
adds  so  finely:  "In  it  our  allies  are  the  gods  and  all 
good  spirits."2  Serious  as  the  visible  war  raging  today 
is  this  invisible  conflict  of  "Soul  with  Sense"  in  our  edu- 
cation and  on  its  issue  the  welfare  of  our  nation  de- 
pends as  truly  as  on  success  in  the  fields  of  France. 

The  greater  part  of  our  people  believe  in  maintain- 
ing education  beyond  the  elementary  stage.  Our  sec- 
ondary schools,  colleges  of  liberal  studies,  technical 
schools  and  professional  schools  exist  in  great  abun- 
dance and  variety.  No  argument  seems  needed  for 
technical  and  professional  studies,  for  they  prepare  stu- 
dents to  enter  on  definite  and  fairly  remunerative  ca- 
reers. But  there  is  some  hostility  and  much  confusion 
in  regard  to  liberal  education  in  schools  and  colleges, 
and  a  good  deal  of  the  hostility  springs  from  the  con- 
fusion. The  confusion  is  due  to  many  causes,  among 
them  the  diversity  of  interests  in  different  regions,  in- 
difference to  mental  training  as  being  in  itself  of  "no 
use,"  the  weaker  instincts  of  unformed  minds,  the  dis- 
tracting multitude  of  possible  studies,  ignorance  of  the 

2  Republic  X  906. 


INTRODUCTION  7 

history  of  education,  poor  salaries,  uncertain  tenure, 
imperfect  teaching,  lack  of  agreement  among  school 
and  college  authorities,  occasional  disastrous  political  in- 
terference and  the  fact  that  many  weaker  institutions 
are  unable  to  maintain  any  standards  except  those  which 
from  time  to  time  happen  to  suit  the  likings  of  their 
clientele.  Add  to  this  the  notion,  now  happily  declining 
in  favor,  that  students  on  entering  college  are  better 
qualified  to  decide  what  they  should  study  than  the  best 
educated  experience  is  qualified  to  advise  them.  The  re- 
sult is  acknowledged  to  have  been  wasteful  and  dis- 
couraging. This  must  be  remedied  or  the  schools  and 
colleges  will  suffer  more.  Yet  one  fact  of  power  and  en- 
couragement has  already  appeared.  The  war,  with  its 
clamorous  call  to  discipline  and  duty,  is  producing  a 
revulsion  of  feeling  which  may  bring  in  its  train  a  ben- 
eficent and  lasting  influence.  We  are  at  last  done  with 
the  capricious  view  of  duty.  The  amateur  no  longer 
counts  and  the  "slacker"  is  in  disgrace.  The  "free  elec- 
tive system"  is  dead  and  the  war  has  buried  it.  In  fact 
it  has  not  been  the  practical  instinct  alone,  but  also  the 
longing  for  something  definite  and  dependable  which 
has  swelled  the  growth  of  technical  education,  with  its 
fixed  demands,  at  the  expense  of  a  liberal  education  dis- 
jointed from  so  much  looseness  of  election. 

The  latest  assault  on  mental  training 
At  this  juncture  we  have  the  remarkable  spectacle  of 
attacks  on  disciplinary  studies,  just  as  the  trend  was 
setting  in  toward  more  definite  training.  Mathematics 
and  classics  were  assailed  as  antiquated  and  needless. 
The  attack  went  farther  and  assailed  the  very  idea  of 
intellectual  discipline  as  unsound,  on  the  ground  that  it 


8  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

is  "content"  and  not  "form"  which  is  important.  Class- 
ics and  mathematics  were  decried  as  fretting  hindrances 
to  intellectual  progress  and  the  results  in  other  studies 
were  said  to  be  demonstrably  better.  Of  course  if  the 
mind  is  not  susceptible  to  training  or  not  benefited  by 
it,  the  conclusion  is  sound.  And  if  classics  and  mathe- 
matics are  really  proofs  of  this,  they  should  be  discarded 
as  instruments  of  education.  To  the  assertion  that  the 
human  mind  is  not  improved  by  disciplinary  training 
there  is  a  short  and  ready  answer.  It  is  that  the  asser- 
tion, if  true,  can  be  proved  by  facts.  If  the  facts  say 
so,  that  ends  the  controversy.  Otherwise  the  assertion 
has  no  more  value  than  any  other  unproved  speculation. 
If,  however,  the  facts  are  against  the  assertion,  it  is 
worse  than  unproved ;  it  is  disproved.  We  do  not  mean 
isolated  or  scattered  facts,  but  the  mass  of  obtainable 
evidence  wherein  all  the  facts  appear  in  their  relation 
and  thus  disclose  the  truth.  And  in  modern  times, 
when  large  systems  of  education  have  been  constructed 
and  operated  on  the  theory  that  the  human  mind  could 
and  should  be  trained,  and  that  it  was  best  trained  by 
means  of  studies  of  ascertained  general  value,  there  is 
need  of  a  large  amount  of  well  tested  evidence  to  dis- 
credit this  verdict  of  wide  experience  and  the  reasoned 
judgment  of  many  of  the  ablest  minds  of  the  race.  If 
such  a  body  of  evidential  facts  exists,  it  should  be  pro- 
duced. It  has  not  been  produced.  There  is  reason  to 
believe  it  cannot  be  produced.  Yet  the  attack  has  done 
good.  It  has  made  men  examine  the  foundations  anew 
and  has  thus  helped  to  bring  truth  to  light.  We  may 
then  turn  with  some  comfort  to  the  saying  of  Aristotle, 
not  because  it  is  old,  but  because  it  is  wise,  that  we  owe 


INTRODUCTION  9 

thanks  to  those  who  agree  with  us  and  also  to  those  who 
differ,  "because  the  latter  have  furnished  us  something; 
exercise"  in  seeking  the  truth.3 

The  two  objections  to  the  classics 
The  arguments  against  classics  and  mathematics,  for 
the  two  are  one  in  the  present  discussion,  may  be  read 
better  in  the  writers  who  advance  them.  But  in  sub- 
stance they  all  reduce  to  two  questions,  the  way  these 
studies  are  taught  and  the  nature  of  the  studies  them- 
selves. The  first  is  a  question  of  fact,  the  second  mainly 
of  theory.  We  shall  deal  with  each  question  so  far  as  it 
affects  the  classics.  As  for  the  other,  we  may  leave  it 
aside,  consoling  ourselves  provisionally  with  the  dictum 
of  Francis  Bacon :  "If  a  man's  wits  be  wandering,  let 
him  study  mathematics." 

The  faults  of  classical  teaching 

Let  us  look  at  the  first  question.  How  are  the  clas- 
sics taught,  well  or  poorly?  It  is,  as  said,  a  question  of 
fact.  We  admit  they  are  sometimes  poorly  taught  and 
generally  more  poorly  taught  than  they  ought  to  be 
and  might  be.  We  admit  more,  namely,  that  this  com- 
plaint has  been  heard  in  almost  every  generation  since 
the  sixteenth  century.  Descartes  lamented  the  barren 
methods  of  his  student  days  in  the  college  of  La  Fleche. 
Milton  exceeds  his  wonted  measure  of  vigor  in  denounc- 
ing the  "asinine  feast  of  sow's  thistles"  which  was  served 
up  to  him.  Heine  wrote  of  his  Latin:  "Often  have  I 
prayed  that  I  might  be  enabled  to  remember  the  irregu- 
lar verbs"  and  felt  sure  the  Romans  would  never  have 
found  time  to  conquer  the  world  if  they  had  been  first 
compelled  to  master  their  grammar.  It  is  an  old  story 

s  Metaphysics  I  brev.  1. 


10  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

with  a  serious  and  a  humorous  side.  And  such  com- 
plaints are  heard  today  from  men  who  are  qualified  to 
speak  with  knowledge,  some  of  them  in  the  high  places 
of  education.  We  shall  do  well  to  heed  them,  because 
they  are  protesting  against  the  pedantry  of  lifeless 
teaching.  We  may,  however,  note  in  passing  that  the 
teacher  is  not  always  the  only  one  at  fault.  Lazy  stu- 
dents shirking  the  toil  of  study  and  dull  students  unre- 
sponsive to  even  the  finest  teaching  do  much  to  bring  on 
the  debacle.  And  it  is  strange  that  scarcely  anyone 
who  in  later  life  finds  his  classical  schooling  was  irritat- 
ing and  useless  states  that  he  may  have  been  to  blame 
for  it  himself.  So  easily  do  we  excuse  ourselves. 

Men  sometimes  say  they  have  forgotten  their  Latin 
and  Greek  and  conclude  that  they  were  therefore 
poorly  taught  and  that  the  time  spent  on  them  was 
wasted.  Do  they  remember  more  than  the  scraps  of 
other  studies  unless  they  have  kept  them  up?  Do  they 
hold  in  active  view  many  items  of  physics  or  chemistry 
or  philosophy?  Can  they  state  accurately  the  law  of 
gravitation  or  recall  much  of  anything  outside  the 
studies  of  description  and  narration?  Even  there,  how 
many  can  repeat  from  memory  the  list  of  our  Presi- 
dents or  recite  The  Star  Spangled  Banner?  Try  it. 
What  we  can  remember  is  worth  much,  but  what  we  had 
to  nourish  our  minds  in  school  and  college  counts  for 
far  more.  It  is  like  food.  Who,  unless  he  was  on 
fixed  diet,  remembers  what  he  ate  a  week  ago  last  Thurs- 
day? or  can  recall  his  menu  for  each  day  of  the  past 
month?  Yet  the  effects  continue.  And  it  is  the  nature 
of  our  diet  in  youth,  as  all  know,  which  does  much  to 
determine  our  health  in  manhood. 


INTRODUCTION  11 

Nevertheless  there  is  something  the  matter  with 
American  classical  teaching,  perhaps  not  so  much  in 
school,  however,  as  in  college.  At  best  we  have  onjy  half 
the  time  for  prescribed  classics  as  compared  with  the 
time  given  in  European  countries.  We  are  expected  to 
produce  comparable  results.  The  remedy  of  remedies 
here  is  to  begin  earlier.  Then  too  the  classics  are  often 
made  optional  and  put  in  unequal  competition  with  eas- 
ier and  lighter  subjects,  some  of  them  not  much  more 
than  baby  play.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  immature  stu- 
dents thus  circumstanced  "follow  the  line  of  least  re- 
sistance," leaving  the  harder  for  the  easier  road  and  ex- 
erting an  influence  which  weakens  the  virility  of  classi- 
cal teaching?  "Though  all  men  doubtless  desire  knowl- 
edge," wrote  Richard  de  Bury  most  quaintly,  "all  do  not 
equally  delight  in  learning."  Here  is  a  great  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  all  school  training,  and  it  must  be  sur- 
mounted. For  if  we  believe  the  evidence  of  experience, 
we  are  sure  the  human  mind  will  not  attain  its  best  de- 
velopment without  repeated  exercise  in  overcoming  dif- 
ficulties any  more  than  the  human  body  will  do  so.  Nor 
will  it  attain  the  balance  and  grace  that  come  with  well 
developed  strength. 

Moreover  classical  teaching  is  sometimes  dull  or  un- 
interesting. The  first  is  always  the  fault  of  the  teacher, 
the  second  sometimes  of  the  teacher  and  sometimes  of 
the  student.  There  is  no  excuse  whatever  for  the 
teacher  who  is  dull,  and  none  for  the  teacher  who  is  un- 
interesting when  the  student  is  capable  and  willing  to 
learn.  But  it  is  unfair  to  insist  that  the  teacher  shall  be 
interesting  when  the  student  is  unwilling  to  give  his 
attention  and  make  his  own  effort.  There  is  no  interest 


12  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

without  attention,  and  no  attention  without  an  act  of 
will.  Will,  rousing  attention  and  leading  to  eff ort,  will 
generally  awaken  interest  even  when  the  teacher  is  of 
only  ordinary  power.  And  immediate  interest,  valuable 
as  it  is,  is  not  a  sure  test  of  the  value  of  anything.  In- 
trinsic importance  and  communicability  are  the  final 
educational  tests  of  value  for  studies,  attention  and  ef- 
fort the  tests  for  students,  and  skill  in  reading  and  guid- 
ing the  student's  mind  the  test  for  teachers.  These 
given,  interest  will  develop  steadily  and  often  rapidly  in 
all  capable  students.  Here  is  the  true  basis  for  teach- 
ing in  every  curriculum  at  every  stage  of  education. 

So  the  true  teacher  has  two  clear  powers,  knowledge 
of  the  subject  he  teaches  and  knowledge  of  the  object 
he  teaches — the  student.  And  one  thing  more — intui- 
tive sympathy.  Without  it  he  will  fail  with  all  except 
those  who  are  willing  to  work.  With  it  he  may  save 
even  the  dawdlers  and  laggards.  It  gives  him  almost 
magical  skill  in  divining  his  student's  need  and  in  show- 
ing him  the  way,  step  by  step,  from  ignorance  to 
brightening  knowledge.  This,  above  all,  is  what  wakens 
desire  for  mastery  and  incites  to  strenuous  effort.  It 
gets  behind  the  human  will ;  attention  wakes  and  effort 
follows. 

We  need  hardly  say  that  few  classical  teachers  and 
few  of  any  other  sort  measure  up  to  this  standard.  Yet 
many  are  striving  hard  to  do  so.  Whether  the  classical 
teaching  is  better  or  worse  than  the  general  run  is  what 
we  need  to  know.  For  not  until  the  American  people 
make  the  career  of  teaching  a  profession  with  its  just 
meed  of  support  and  honor  can  we  for  a  long  time  to 
come  expect  much  better  teaching  than  we  now  have. 


INTRODUCTION  13 

So  intimately  is  the  question  of  the  quality  of  classical 
teaching  inwoven  with  the  rest. 

One  point  needs  to  be  noted  in  college  teaching.  The 
younger  collegians  are  not  as  a  rule  in  the  hands  of  the 
most  skilful  teachers  of  the  faculty,  as  they  ought  to  be. 
Freshmen  often  say  they  had  better  teaching  in  the  last 
year  of  school  than  in  the  first  year  of  college.  Head- 
masters say  the  same.  Too  many  college  instructors  of 
freshmen  are  inexperienced  in  the  art  of  teaching.  They 
are  sometimes  consequential  and  fussy,  sometimes  heavy 
and  slow  and  oftener  lacking  in  the  grace  and  skill  born 
of  sympathy.  Some  seem  unconscious  of  the  needs  of 
their  students.  Their  training  as  Doctors  of  Philosophy 
has  not  usually  prepared  them  for  this  task,  and  many 
of  them  have  to  learn  it  from  the  beginning.  The  fate 
of  the  classics  in  college  largely  depends  on  providing 
the  best  teaching  for  freshmen.  And  it  should  be  humane 
and  enlightening  throughout  the  whole  course.  Yet  the 
trouble  is  not  confined  to  the  classics.  It  is  common  in 
other  subjects  also. 

When  shall  we  wake  to  the  need  of  fine  teaching  in 
the  essential  studies?  It  can  hardly  be  questioned  that 
our  boys  who  come  to  college  are  in  school  education 
two  years  behind  the  boys  of  like  age  in  England, 
France  and  Germany.  With  these  two  years  saved  and 
devoted  to  well  taught  essential  studies,  many  of  our 
college  difficulties,  classics  included,  would  be  overcome. 

How  should  the  classics  be  taught? 
We  need,  then,  to  start  in  the  classics  earlier  and 
teach  them  better.    We  need  something  more — fresh- 
ening of  spirit.    This  will  not  come  by  exhortation  or 
emotional  endeavor.    It  will  come  when  we  regain  the 


14  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

spirit  which  caused  the  Revival  of  Learning,  the  "first 
fine  careless  rapture"  of  the  Renaissance.  Latin  and 
Greek  must  be  made  natural  to  the  American  boy,  as 
they  were  native  to  the  boys  of  Rome  and  Athens.  Fol- 
low the  lead  of  Erasmus  and  Colet  and  Melancthon. 
Then  the  dead  will  wake  and  speak  again.  It  is  often 
said  that  enthusiasm  without  precision  was  a  mark  of 
the  Renaissance.  Precision  without  enthusiasm  is  our 
danger  now — or  else  silly  superficiality  and  dilution  in 
order  to  make  the  classics  "interesting."  It  is  hard  to 
say  it — but  even  this  is  better  than  dull  pedantry.  Once 
the  right  spirit  and  method  is  in  our  teaching  and  we 
can  begin  early  enough  to  take  young  minds  when  they 
are  most  plastic  to  the  sounds,  images  and  memories  of 
language,  the  classics  will  be  vividly  "interesting."  The 
subject  is  too  large  for  this  paper,  but  a  few  points  may 
be  noted.  Begin  two  years  earlier,  taking  boys  of  eleven 
or  twelve.  Remember  the  saying  of  Quintilian,  great- 
est of  Roman  teachers,  that  we  first  take  in  language  by 
ear.  Let  the  American  boy  learn  Latin  somewhat  in 
the  way  the  Roman  boy  of  his  years  learned  it,  only 
more  simply.  Tell  him — not  show  him — a  Latin  word 
or  easiest  phrase  and  its  meaning;  homo  sum,  puer  es, 
quota  hora  est?  quid  rides?  and  so  on.  Have  him  say 
them  first  and  then  write  them.  Never  mind  if  every 
word  is  not  carefully  Ciceronian.  He  too  sometimes 
lapsed  in  his  daily  talk — and  there  must  have  been  a 
lot  of  it.  Then  there  were  other  fine  old  Romans  who 
did  not  always  "speak  by  the  book."  And  vox  populi, 
vox  Dei  is  perfect  Latin  though  Alcuin  wrote  it,  as  well 
as  cogito  ergo  sum  made  in  France  by  Descartes.  Use 
freely  the  Latin  words  that  are  English  and  show  their 


INTRODUCTION  15 

meaning :  omnibus,,  circus,  item,  tandem,  extra,  et  cetera. 
Show  the  boy  the  Latin,  old  or  new,  that  runs  through 
the  world  of  geography  (Africa,  Asia,  America,  Aus- 
tralia., Virginia,  Canada)  all  the  way  to  the  far  off 
"beautiful"  island  of  Formosa.  Saying  is  everything 
here.  It  is  the  original,  living,  convincing  utterance,  the 
verba  labris  nascentia  of  Quintilian,  "words  born  on  the 
lips,"  which  alone  is  actual  Speech.  With  this  daily 
usage  continued,  the  auditional  dread  of  Latin,  so  com- 
mon now,  would  disappear  and  the  boy  would  begin  to 
get  the  Latin  consciousness. 

Two  years  of  this  simple  conversational  Latin  of  the 
kind  that  can  be  picked  out  or  made  up  from  Terence, 
Cicero's  letters,  Aulus  Gellius  and  Augustine,  practice 
in  writing  easy  sentences  in  the  simpler  constructions  of 
the  sermo  cotidianus  of  Rome,  avoiding  meanwhile  the 
periodic  sentence  and  finished  works  of  adult  literature 
(not  made  for  young  Roman  boys)  and  keeping  to 
thoughts  and  expressions  within  the  sphere  of  boyhood, 
using  coins,  graffiti,  inscriptions  on  cups,  sling  stones, 
weapons  and  other  things  of  common  life,  saying  max- 
ims, proverbs  and  other  immortal  quotable  phrases 
(dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori),  trying  the  fa- 
bles, "tales  and  golden  histories"  so  far  as  we  can, 
perhaps  opening  a  little  mythology  in  Ovid,  reading 
aloud  in  selected  parts  of  the  Psalter  and  the  Gospels, 
and  writing,  writing,  writing  the  Latin  he  says,  perhaps 
making  some  for  himself  in  the  form  of  a  letter  or 
story — something  like  this  is  the  course  that  will  bring 
a  boy  ready,  really  ready,  and  happy  to  begin  his  harder 
task  of  reading  the  serious  literary  Latin,  equipped  with 
a  vocabulary  that  is  sounding  in  his  ears,  a  natural  habit 


16  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

of  saying  and  writing  simpler  Latin  and  a  large  store  of 
satisfying  information.  Does  it  sound  too  easy?  It  is 
hard  enough  for  a  boy  of  twelve. 

Where  does  grammar  come  in?  Everywhere — at  first 
most  simply  by  sorting  words  according  to  their  kinds 
and  then  by  moving  on,  one  step  at  a  time,  to  arrange 
them  clearly  under  the  laws  of  the  language.  When 
the  dreaded  "exceptions"  occur,  help  the  boy  to  use  his 
wits  and,  if  need  be,  his  wit  to  fasten  them  in  his  mind. 
Take  a  most  simple  example.  Words  that  look  femi- 
nine and  are  masculine  may  annoy  him  awhile.  Let  his 
humor  help  him  in  handling  agricola  and  pirata  by  say- 
ing in  Latin  "The  bad  farmer  loves  the  good  pirate." 
He  will  never  forget  this.  Thus  the  boy  is  continual- 
ly finding  the  grammar  inside  the  used  and  usable 
language,  instead  of  trying  first  to  find  the  language  in 
the  grammar.  He  begins  to  learn  the  rules  of  the  game 
by  watching  and  trying  the  game.  He  may  next  go  on 
to  understand  the  game  better  by  mastering  the  rules. 
This  done,  he  knows  how  to  play  the  game.  How  well 
he  will  play  it  then  depends  mainly  on  himself. 

Where  does  the  literature  come  in?  Everywhere — 
just  as  soon  as  he  begins  to  read  the  easier  Latin  books, 
boys'  reading  at  first,  men's  reading  as  soon  thereafter 
as  is  practicable.  Then  as  vistas  begin  to  open  and 
perspectives  to  lengthen,  he  begins  to  get  his  reward. 
He  has  climbed  the  Hill  Difficulty  and  may  look  out 
with  clear  vision  upon  the  broad  realm  of  literature  and 
the  long  perspectives  of  history. 

A  life  given  to  teaching  Latin  has  gradually  forced 
me  to  conclude  that  this  is  the  true  way  to  bring  Latin 
alive  into  our  modern  consciousness.  It  does  not  call 


INTRODUCTION  17 

for  skilled  conversationalists  as  teachers.  Three  months 
oral  practice  will  give  almost  any  Latin  teacher  enough 
of  a  start.  In  classical  training,  as  elsewhere,  it  is  the 
beginning  that  settles  almost  everything.  This  is  the 
method  and  spirit  which  in  varying  forms  inspired  the 
teachers  of  the  Renaissance.  And  what  is  true  for  Latin 
is  as  true  for  Greek.  Utrique  eadem  via  est* 

4Quintilian  I  4  17. 

The  successful  results  of  classical  teaching 
We  have  looked  at  the  faults  and  failings  in  our  clas- 
sical teaching  and  have  also  tried  to  point  out  the  reme- 
dies. We  may  now  turn  to  the  brighter  side.  It  is  very 
bright.  No  matter  what  the  cause,  all  the  available  in- 
formation shows  that  the  classical  generally  surpass  the 
non-classical  students  in  school  and  college  studies.  If 
the  teaching  is  bad,  such  students  must  be  heroes.  In 
our  college  entrance  examinations  the  percentage  of  suc- 
cess in  Greek  and  Latin  is  higher  than  in  the  other 
largely  taken  subjects.  It  is  distinctly  ahead  of  the  re- 
sults in  mathematics,  chemistry,  history,  English  and 
the  other  modern  languages,  and  about  even  in  physics 
— the  studies  which,  with  the  classics,  form  the  stock  and 
staple  of  preparation  for  college.  The  comparative 
record  of  classically  trained  students  in  college  is  also 
highly  satisfactory.  Here  are  ascertained  facts  which 
anyone  may  examine — the  largest  and  latest  body  of 
evidence  now  available.5  The  superiority  of  the  classi- 
cal students  is  beyond  question.  What  then  becomes 
of  the  charge  that  the  classics  are  poorly  taught?  This: 
that  if  they  are,  most  other  subjects  appear  to  be  taught 
more  poorly.  The  assertion  was:  The  classics  are 

5  See  Statistics  at  the  end  of  this  book. 


18  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

poorly  taught ;  therefore  they  should  be  discarded.  But 
other  important  subjects  appear  to  be  more  poorly 
taught;  therefore  they  should  be — what?  Discarded? 
No  one  thinks  so.  Why  then  should  the  less  poorly 
taught  classics  be  discarded? 

Are  these  good  results  due  to  the  ability  of  the  students? 
To  this  no  answer  is  made  except  that  the  evident 
superiority,  which  is  perforce  admitted,  is  due  wholly 
or  mainly  to  the  greater  ability  of  classical  students  and 
not  to  their  studies  or  teaching,  and  that  it  is  the  tradi- 
tional tendency  of  such  students  to  take  classics  which 
explains  the  result.  If  it  is  only  "mainly"  the  reason, 
then  the  studies  and  teaching  must  account  for  a  part  of 
the  result,  perhaps  a  small  part,  but  still  something  real. 
And  if  the  charge  of  comparatively  bad  teaching  is  not 
abandoned,  the  nature  of  the  studies  must  figure  as 
the  remaining  contributing  factor.  If  it  is  "wholly"  the 
reason,  the  case  is  different.  Let  us  suppose  it  is  the 
whole  reason.  Then  if  it  is  no  argument  for  the  classics 
that  it  is  customary  for  the  abler  students  to  take  them, 
nothing  more  can  be  concluded  than  that  this  fact  is  not 
a  proof  that  the  classics  are  intrinsically  valuable 
studies.  And  certainly  the  fact  that  the  abler  students 
prefer  the  classics  proves  nothing  against  their  value. 
The  abler  students  are  the  more  intelligent  as  contrasted 
with  the  less  intelligent,  the  mediocre  and  the  dull. 
Ability  commonly  implies  greater  independence  and 
probable  decision  of  questions  on  rational  grounds.  It 
is  the  more  intelligent  who  are  the  less  obsequious  to 
mere  tradition.  The  fact  that  the  abler  students  take 
the  classics  therefore  looks  at  least  like  an  indication  that 
they  do  so  not  merely  because  their  fathers  did  so,  but 
because  it  is  also  an  intelligent  thing  to  do. 


INTRODUCTION  19 

It  is  strange  that  the  explanation,  or  rather  the  asser- 
tion, should  assume  that  the  students  are  the  only  im- 
portant factor  in  the  case.  Modern  science  has  taught 
us  to  accept  the  truth  that  there  are  always  and  every- 
where two  prime  factors  in  the  evolution  of  man — her- 
edity and  environment.  What  you  are  in  yourself  and 
what  you  get  from  outside — these  two  determine  human 
life.  In  this  case  the  student  is  the  factor  of  heredity; 
studies  and  teachers  are  his  educational  environment. 
It  is  admittedly  irrational  to  suppose  that  education  is 
the  one  sphere  of  life  where  heredity  and  environment 
fail  to  act  and  react  on  each  other.  There  is  not  the 
faintest  reason  for  suspecting  that  a  race  of  comparably 
able  students  environed  for  generations  by  teachers  dis- 
pensing Old  Norse  and  Esperanto  would  turn  out  as 
well  as  those  produced  in  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek 
or  French  and  German  or  Italian  and  Spanish.  The 
reason  is  that  the  latter  studies  have  proved  themselves 
worth  more  for  intellectual  development.  The  same 
reasoning  applies  in  other  fields  of  study.  History  is 
worth  more  than  heraldry,  geometry  than  gauging,  bi- 
ology than  conchology  and  philosophy  than  pedagogy. 
The  explanation,  then,  is  that  both  prime  factors,  the 
student  and  his  environment  of  studies  and  teachers, 
always  enter  into  the  result.  We  are  thus  driven  to 
conclude  that  in  some  appreciable  measure  classical 
studies  do  influence  intellectual  development,  and  the 
available  evidence  indicates  that  the  natural  effect  of 
this  influence  is  commonly  good. 

Are  the  classics  a  useless  mental  discipline? 
The  second  objection  to  the  classics  is  based  on  their 
nature  as  a  useless  "formal"  discipline,  having  a  "con- 


20  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

tent"  of  value,  indeed,  but  one  which  is  sufficiently  avail- 
able in  translations.  We  need  not  spend  much  time  on 
the  question  of  intellectual  discipline,  "formal"  or  of 
any  other  imaginable  kind,  if  there  is  any.  If  "formal" 
discipline  is  used  in  some  artificial  or  mysterious  sense, 
we  need  not  trouble  ourselves  to  understand  it.  If  it 
means  teaching  empty  abstractions  to  the  young  or 
teaching  in  a  stiff  ceremonial  manner  or  teaching  the 
structural  part  of  a  study  without  clear  illustration  by 
examples,  every  one  should  reject  it.  If,  however,  it 
means  something  strict  and  regular,  the  meaning  so 
commonly  used  in  daily  life,  then  it  is  not  unfair  to  re- 
mark in  passing  that  a  most  famous  recent  example  of 
"formal"  discipline  is  observable  in  the  French  defence 
of  Verdun,  whereas  the  confused  retreat  of  a  part  of  the 
Russian  army,  turned  for  the  moment  by  agitators  into 
a  sort  of  debating  society,  is  a  good  example  of  rather 
"informal"  discipline. 

"Formal"  discipline  and  "content"  are  implied  in 
varying  degree  in  all  studies  which  have  intellectual 
structure.  In  some  it  is  a  highly  vertebrate  structure,  as 
in  physics.  In  others  it  is  of  somewhat  invertebrate 
structure,  as  in  the  history  of  American  literature. 
Studies  without  an  intellectual  structure  are  not  studies, 
though  pleasant  and  useful  as  diversions  from  study.  Of 
course,  if  the  mind  is  not  benefited  by  training  in  studies, 
"formal"  discipline  must  go.  Here  we  are  in  a  region 
which  is  largely  theoretical  and  where  discussion  without 
solution  of  the  question  at  issue  may  be  interminable. 
We  cannot  as  yet  put  the  minds  of  children  under  micro- 
scopes or  flood  them  with  X-rays  and  observe  directly 
the  effect  of  studies  involving  "formal"  discipline.  So 


INTRODUCTION  21 

we  must  be  content  with  indirect  experiment  and  judge 
by  what  seem  to  be  the  effects  in  human  experience.  It 
is  largely  a  question  of  observed  habits  and  tendencies 
under  different  conditions,  a  question  of  probable  evi- 
dence. We  have  to  look  about  us  for  what  light  we  can 
get  from  today  and  to  inspect  history  for  the  rest.  In 
so  doing  we  may  leave  out  the  few  cases  of  spontaneous 
genius  or  extraordinary  ability.  What  of  the  mass  of 
mankind?  And  what  of  the  most  reliable  educational 
opinion?  For  ages  it  has  been  the  view  of  most  of  the 
master  thinkers  that  the  human  mind  does  not  develop 
well  without  exercise  and  that  it  is  developed  most 
highly  by  mastering  knowledge  which  is  both  difficult 
and  valuable.  In  the  world's  conflict  the  undisciplined 
mind  has  generally  been  beaten.  So  we  take  sides  with 
what  has  the  preponderating  weight  of  existing  evidence 
to  support  it.  If  the  opinion  that  "formal"  discipline  is 
irrational  is  sound,  there  is  a  foundation  for  establishing 
resorts  for  interesting  information,  but  none  is  left  for 
schools  of  education.  At  present  we  need  not  be  troubled 
greatly.  The  war  is  waking  in  vigor  the  thought  of 
discipline  and  duty,  and  the  pleasant  winding  way  is  be- 
ing deserted  for  the  straight  and  narrow  path. 

Here  we  may  be  told  we  are  all  wrong  because  the 
newer  psychology  has  experimentally  disproved  the 
idea  of  mental  discipline.  The  subject  is  inviting,  even 
alluring,  but  there  is  no  space  to  go  into  it  fully  here. 
If  anyone  will  read  the  writings  of  its  advocates,  he  will 
learn  much  and  will  soon  discover  how  imperfect  and 
curious  their  notion  of  proof  is.6  There  is,  moreover,  no 

6  For  a  keen  critique  read  Professor  Shorey's  articles  in  the  Atlantic 
Monthly  on  "The  Assault  on  Humanism."  They  are  reprinted  as  a 
monograph. 


22  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

thorough  agreement  among  psychologists  that  the  proof 
is  conclusive  or  even  considerable.  On  this  point  we 
may  quote  an  authority  of  distinction,  Professor  Strat- 
ton,  former  President  of  the  American  Psychological 
Association,  who  writes  as  follows — and  since  the  war 
began : 

"The  mind  is  something  far  larger  than  the  particu- 
lar items  which  it  observes  and  hears.  It  is  a  powerful 
organism,  with  powers  latent,  powers  developed,  pow- 
ers lost  through  disuse.  Any  schooling  seems  to  me  a 
failure  that  overlooks  this  and  regards  the  mind  as  a 
mere  assembly  of  interesting  ideas  and  of  useful  items 
of  information.  Education  must  train  a  person  to  will 
aright  and  to  work,  and  to  withstand  inner  and  outer 
distractions,  as  well  as  to  act  not  only  with  a  sympathy 
for  human  beings  near  at  hand  but  also  with  sympathy 
and  with  understanding  of  distant  peoples  and  distant 
times.  The  findings  of  psychology  all  favor  this  richer 
conception  of  the  human  person,  and  it  would  be  a  grave 
mistake  to  suppose  that  the  experimental  work  has 
proved  that  the  idea  of  mental  discipline  is  no  longer 
tenable."7 

Dean  Lange  of  the  School  of  Education  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  also  writes :  "Just  because  it  is  so 
radial  in  the  specific  disciplines  it  can  be  made  to  fur- 
nish (the  results  of  which  are  transferable,  at  least  to 
things  that  are  human),  Latin  as  an  educational  means 
has  virtues  that  other  subjects  have  not."8  Meanwhile 
we  may  rest  content  as  to  this  supposedly  irresistible 

7  Bulletin  15  of  University  of  California,  191'4-1915. 

s  In  letter  to  Professor  H.  A.  Nutting,  published  in  School  and  Society, 
March  3,  1917,  page  62. 


INTRODUCTION  23 

proof.    It  has  not  yet  been  furnished.    "Saying  so,"  as 
Lincoln  was  fond  of  observing,  "does  not  make  it  so." 

The  newer  psychology  has  some  deep  places  and  some 
deep  thinkers — from  Wundt  onward.  For  these  few 
there  are  scores  and  hundreds  of  others  who  splash  in  its 
shallows,  muddying  the  waters  and  muddling  them- 
selves. Nowhere  else  does  the  "miscellaneously  minded" 
man — not  the  universally  minded,  but  the  scatterbrain 
— disport  himself  more  freely.  Think  seriously,  if  you 
can,  of  such  observations  as  these:  that  young  children 
step  about  like  young  chickens,  rapid  eating  is  a  sign  of 
fear  and  "Key  declares  that  intense  mental  activity 
among  the  upper  classes  of  Sweden  has  resulted  in  a 
marked  increase  in  the  tendency  to  nose  bleed."  Un- 
less taken  lightly,  such  things  are  disconcerting.  They 
are  better  added  to  our  treasure  of  the  aphorisms  of 
Josh  Billings:  "Rats  originally  came  from  Norway 
and  I  wish  they  had  originally  stayed  there,"  "Chaucer 
was  a  good  poet,  but  the  trouble  was  he  could  not  spell." 

Will  not  translations  serve  well  enough? 
The  statement  that  the  classics  are  sufficiently  avail- 
able for  modern  purposes  in  the  form  of  translations 
deserves  attention.  Good  translations  are  the  next 
best  thing  to  the  originals.  A  vast  amount  of  knowl- 
edge and  profit  is  to  be  gained  from  them.  By  all  means 
let  those  who  cannot  consult  the  originals,  and  also  those 
who  can,  read  fine  versions.  Some  of  them  are  English 
classics,  such  as  Dryden's  Virgil,  Jowett's  Plato  and 
Jebb's  Sophocles.  So  far  as  full  reproduction  of  the 
tone  and  spirit  of  the  originals  is  concerned,  readers  of 
translations  will  lose  least  in  the  books  of  information, 
such  as  Arrian,  Polybius,  Manilius,  Pliny  the  Elder  and 


24  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

Aristotle's  Natural  History,  and  most  in  the  works  of 
style  and  vision.  They  will  get  much  and  lose  much  in 
Herodotus  and  Thucydides  and  Tacitus.  Tarn  diu  Ger- 
mania  vincitur,  wrote  Tacitus,  grimly  summing  up  in 
four  words  two  centuries  of  wars  between  Rome  and  the 
Germans.  Who  can  put  in  English  or  any  other 
tongue  the  strength  and  irony  of  this  sketch  in  four 
strokes?  No  one  has  done  so.  Still,  on  the  whole,  read- 
ers of  good  versions  will  get  nearest  to  the  originals  in 
the  records  of  history  and  erudition.  And  "ancient  his- 
tory," as  Bryce  observes,  "is  the  key  to  all  history." 
They  will  be  farthest  away  in  reading  the  poets. 

It  takes  genius  to  translate  genius  finely.  Even  then 
something  is  always  lost.  The  best  reflection  is  less  than 
the  full  light,  and  often  the  best  reflection  cannot  be 
obtained.  The  "disillusion"  of  translations,  which  are 
not  actual  works  of  re-creation,  is  easily  proved,  and  the 
works  of  re-creation  are  very  rare.  The  translators 
themselves  are  the  best  witnesses  to  this.  Shakespeare 
in  German  is  amusingly  interesting  to  the  point  of  mer- 
riment and  Homer's  hexameters  in  that  tongue  thump 
in  heavy  tumbling  lines.  Milton  tried  his  hand  at  Hor- 
ace and  turned  fickle  Pyrrha  into  a  Priscilla.  Ben  Jon- 
son  did  best  of  all  in  his  part  version  and  part  creation 
of  "Drink  to  me  only  with  thine  eyes"  and  then  trans- 
lated the  thrilling  Vivamus  mea  Lesbia  atque  amemus 
of  Catullus  with  graceful  inadequacy.  Where  these 
failed,who  shall  succeed?  And  in  prose  who  shall  ever 
copy  perfectly  Livy's  picture  of  the  dying  Tarquin  or 
Cicero's  words  to  his  son  at  the  end  of  the  De  Officiis  or 
the  battle  of  Thermopylae  in  Herodotus  or  Plato's 
serene  look  as  he  tells  of  the  p-a-xn  o^&arot,  the  "immor- 
tal conflict"  between  the  hosts  of  Good  and  Evil,  or  the 


INTRODUCTION  25 

majestic  rhythm  of  Augustine's  Fisibilium  omnium 
maocimus  est  mundus;  invisibilium  omnium  maodmus  est 
Deus.  In  poetry  the  task  is  harder  and  often  impos- 
sible. The  unf  orgetable  lines !  how  they  haunt  the  mem- 
ory by  hundreds — living,  appealing,  enchanting.  Take 
three  instances  at  random.  For  splendor  take  the  vision 
of  Ennius  of  the  night  sky  filled  with  stars: 

O  magna  templa  caelitum  commixta  stellis  splendidis 
or  for  still  beauty  Virgil's  picture  of  the  glittering  moon- 
lit sea: 

Splendet  tremulo  sub  lumine  pontus 
or  for  "eternal  passion,  eternal  pain"  Sappho's  death- 
less 

<J>at^erat  /xot  KTJVOS  tcros  Oeolaiv 

exquisitely  attempted  by  Catullus,  but  in  vain,  and  the 
despair  of  poets  ever  since. 

So  translations  are  like  photographs,  best  for  repro- 
ducing drawings  and  worst  for  sunsets.  It  is  as  though 
one  who  could  not  see  the  French  cathedrals  or  the  pyra- 
mids should  acquaint  himself  with  good  photographs 
and  engravings  or,  in  rare  cases,  with  good  paintings  of 
them.  But  they  are  not  the  cathedrals  or  the  pyramids. 
They  are  the  next  best  thing,  unless,  as  may  be  the  case, 
the  tales  of  travellers  are  better.  These,  too,  are  not  the 
original,  but  a  teacher's  interpretation — sometimes  very 
good  and  sometimes  not.  To  bring  the  meaning  of  all 
this  straight  home,  think  of  Cowper's  lines  on  receiving 
his  dead  mother's  picture : 

O  that  those  lips  had  language !  Life  has  passed 
With  me  but  roughly  since  I  saw  thee  last. 
The  picture  was  a  precious  reflection  of  his  mother's 
face.    It  was  not  his  mother. 


26  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

Science  tells  us  of  "visible  speech."     There  is  an- 
other sort  in  the  actual  words  of  poets.    Their  melodies 
reveal  visions,  so  that  as  we  read  we  seem  both  to  hear 
and  see.    There  is  mellow  light  as  well  as  music  in 
Much  have  I  travelled  in  the  realms  of  gold, 
Round  many  western  islands  have  I  been 
Which  bards  in  fealty  to  Apollo  hold. 
This  is  why  tired  moderns  when  reading  Homer 
Turn,  and  see  the  stars,  and  feel  the  free 

Shrill  wind  beyond  the  close  of  heavy  flowers, 
And  through  the  music  of  the  languid  hours 
They  hear  like  Ocean  on  a  western  beach 
The  surge  and  thunder  of  the  Odyssey. 
Are  translations  sufficient  for  the  best  modern  edu- 
cation?   No  one  doubts  the  originals  are  better  than  the 
best  versions.     Why,  then,  should  not  those  who  are 
willing  to  learn  the  original  languages  and  enjoy  the 
original  literature  in  its  original  vigor  have  a  really  good 
chance  and  also  be  urged  to  take  it?    This  is  the  day 
when  we  are  told  incessantly  to  "go  to  the  sources"  in 
science  and  history  and  studies  generally.    We  should 
do  the  same  with  the  classics  and  lead  everyone  who  is 
able  and  willing  along  the  ascending  way  to  the  ever 
flowing  self  renewing  Pierian  spring. 

The  true  place  of  the  classics 

The  whole  case  for  the  classics  rests  on  their  proved 
value  for  modern  thought  and  life.  To  repeat  the  evi- 
dence would  take  volumes  and  require  a  full  examina- 
tion of  the  history  of  modern  education.  A  valuable  ex- 
position is  to  be  found  in  Livingstone's  recent  book,9 
even  though  Mr.  H.  G.  Wells  thinks  his  arguments  look 

» A  Defence  of  Classical  Education.    Macmillan,  1916. 


INTRODUCTION  27 

like  "a  pack  of  cockroaches  fleeing  before  a  light."10 
Viscount  Bryce's  last  article,11  the  paper  of  Principal 
Stearns12  and  Professor  Shorey's  monograph13  are 
three  very  recent  contributions,  all  of  unusual  power. 
The  addresses,  statements  and  statistics  printed  in  this 
book  add  material  of  the  first  value. 

Out  of  many  good  statements  of  the  last  generation 
written  in  English,  two  are  of  conspicuous  worth  in  the 
present  situation,  the  plea  of  James  Russell  Lowell14 
and  the  unanswerable  argument  of  John  Stuart  Mill.15 

We  may  then  turn,  finally,  to  consider  briefly  the 
place  of  language,  and  especially  of  the  classics,  in  a  true 
theory  of  liberal  education,  the  education  which  aims  to 
develop  the  human  mind  to  its  highest  excellence.  It 
is  clear  that  language  has  a  necessary  function.  For  all 
except  those  who  lack  the  power  of  speech  it  is  the  one 
universal  means,  aside  from  the  material  works  of 
human  skill  and  the  primitive  signs  and  signals,  of  put- 
ting our  thoughts  in  form  and  of  telling  them  to  others. 
Try  to  fancy,  if  you  can,  a  state  of  things  wherein 
there  was  no  use  of  speech  and  not  one  word  of 
writing  or  print.  Nothing  would  be  left  except  to  do 
no  more  than  the  deaf  and  dumb  can  do  unhelped 
by  those  who  speak.  All  communication  of  thought 

10  Fortnightly  Review,  April,  1917.    Mr.  Wells,  however,  records  himself 
as  distinctly  friendly  to  the  classics:    "The  attack  upon  the  classical  educa- 
tion, it  must  be  remembered,  does  not  involve  a  denial  of  the  high  value  of 
that  education:    It  is  an  attack  merely  upon  its  exclusive  predominance." 

11  Fortnightly  Review,  April,  1917. 

12  Atlantic  Monthly,  March,  1917. 

13  Atlantic  Monthly,  June  and  July,  1917;  reprinted  as  a  monograph. 
i*  Democracy  and  Other  Addresses,  pp.  218-229,  Boston,  1887. 

is  Dissertations  and  Discourses,  IV,  pp.  349-361,  New  York,  Henry  Holt 
&  Co.,  1874. 


28  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

would  be  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms  and  generations 
would  be  needed  to  accomplish  less  than  may  now  be 
done  in  a  year.  But  today,  as  ever,  language  is  the  uni- 
versal currency  of  thought.  The  gold  and  silver  and 
baser  coin  of  thought  are  the  stored  treasure  of  the 
mind,  which  circulates  everywhere  in  the  substitute  of 
words.  On  this  all  sciences  and  arts  largely  depend — 
the  concerns  of  business,  all  trades  and  professions,  lit- 
erature, government,  home  life  and  education.  All  the 
symbols  of  science  are  merely  language  in  short  hand. 
The  written  and  spoken  word  rules  the  world.  We  are 
getting  here  to  some  ancient  things,  so  ancient  that  they 
seem  eternal.  Language  is  the  recorder  and  keeper  of 
knowledge  for  the  future.  On  this  much  of  our  progress 
depends.  Good  knowledge  and  use  of  language  is  of 
prime  value  for  anyone  who  can  talk.  Without  it  a  man 
is  in  some  sense  illiterate.  Men  are  judged  more  by 
what  they  say  than  by  what  they  think.  In  case  of  dis- 
pute over  anything  we  say  or  write,  the  question  is  not 
so  much  What  did  he  mean  to  say  or  write?  but  What 
is  the  meaning  of  what  he  did  say  or  write?  If  we  are 
called  to  make  explanation,  we  must  use  language  to 
do  it  or  fall  back  on  the  dumb  show  of  signs,  winks  and 
nods,  or  else  stand  dumb  like  "the  horse  or  the  mule 
which  have  no  understanding."  This  is  all  so  alarming- 
ly elementary  that  it  seems  needless  to  mention  it.  But 
it  has  to  be  mentioned  because  it  is  imbedded  so  deep  in 
tradition  that  we  have  lost  sight  of  its  immense  im- 
portance. 

Granting,  then,  that  language  and  thought  are  the 
double  foundation  and  that  they  are  so  interlocked  as 
to  become  the  single  foundation  for  education  from  be- 
ginning to  end,  thought  as  the  soul  of  language  and  Ian- 


INTRODUCTION  29 

guage  as  the  embodiment  of  thought,  audible  in  speech, 
visible  in  writing;  what  follows?  That  we  ought  to 
learn  to  use  our  own  language,  of  course,  and  learn  to 
use  it  as  well  as  possible.  This  happens  to  be  English. 
If  it  were  Chinese,  we  ought  to  do  the  same  in  that 
tongue. 

But  for  the  mass  of  English  speaking  men,  rare 
spirits  excepted,  the  best  use  of  English  is  not  attained 
without  knowing  the  sources  whence  our  mother  tongue 
draws  its  life.  Nearly  half  of  it  is  Latin.  The  better 
we  know  Latin,  then,  the  better  our  use  of  English.  And 
as  the  important  modern  languages,  French,  Spanish, 
Italian,  are  simply  Latin  in  modern  guise,  Latin  is  the 
surest  and  quickest  help  to  learning  them.  It  is 
their  ancestral  home  and  largely  ours  also.  Three  hun- 
dred millions  of  our  modern  civilized  world  speak  one 
or  more  of  them,  including  much  of  western  Europe, 
both  Americas,  Australia  and  many  islands  of  the  sea. 
Just  now  these  parts  of  the  world  are  drawn  closer  in 
the  common  cause  of  war.  Their  one  common  underly- 
ing educational  factor  in  language  is  Latin.  It  is  the 
key  which  opens  many  doors,  and  many  more  than  we 
have  mentioned.  Such  are  the  simpler  practical  reasons 
for  studying  it.  There  is  little  space  to  say  more. 

There  is  a  higher  argument  for  the  classics  which  may 
be  briefly  indicated.  If  they  are  something  by  them- 
selves and  not  a  necessary  element  for  the  best  liberal 
education  of  the  western  civilized  world,  they  may  be 
left  to  whatever  fate  time  shall  give  them.  But  if  they 
are  somewhere  necessary  in  a  true  theory  of  our  western 
liberal  education,  if  they  are  an  integral  part  of  our 
problem,  the  case  is  different  and  their  importance  is 
evident. 


30  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

What  are  the  things  a  really  liberally  educated  man 
ought  to  know?  Every  human  being  who  thinks,  or 
who  does  not  think,  is  faced  by  three  commanding  in- 
tellectual questions  so  long  as  he  lives  on  this  planet. 
The  first  is  the  problem  of  the  vast  world  of  nature,  the 
world  of  things  outside  him,  the  largest  and  outermost 
circle,  within  which  his  whole  life  is  spent.  The  answers 
to  this  problem,  so  far  as  given  at  all,  are  given  in  mathe- 
matics and  the  sciences.  There  are  just  four  of  them, 
all  the  others  being  combinations  or  derivatives.  They 
are,  first  of  all,  mathematics  for  the  underlying  abstract 
relations  of  space  and  number,  which  exist  everywhere. 
Next,  rising  from  this,  comes  physics  which  deals  with 
matter  and  energy.  It  extends  to  its  sequel  in  chemis- 
try, which  deals  with  the  analysis  and  synthesis  of  the 
elements  of  matter.  From  this  rises  biology,  the  science 
of  all  living  matter.  These  four  compose  the  central 
body  of  the  sciences.  They  are  best  known  by  begin- 
ning with  the  foundation  in  mathematics  and  rising  to 
physics  and  then  to  chemistry  and  biology.  The  liber- 
ally educated  man  needs,  then,  to  know  the  elements  of 
mathematics  and  physics  and  to  get  some  chemistry  and 
biology  also,  so  far  as  possible.  There  is  room  in  school 
and  college  for  the  elements  of  all  four. 

The  second  is  the  problem  of  mankind,  the  world  of 
persons  outside  him,  the  smaller  circle  inside  the  vaster 
circle  of  nature.  Within  this  large  but  lesser  circle  he 
must  also  spend  his  whole  life  unless  he  retires  to  a 
desert.  Even  there  he  may  meet  other  men.  The 
answers  to  this  problem  of  mankind  are  written  in  what 
we  may  call  history,  the  whole  record  of  the  collective 
activity  of  the  race.  Here  the  mother  study,  source  of 
all  the  rest,  is  history  proper,  and  for  us  the  history  of 


INTRODUCTION  31 

our  own  civilization.  Historians  agree  that  the  funda- 
mental thing  here  is  our  own  ancient  history,  the  story 
of  Greece  and  Rome.  This  the  liberally  educated  man 
should  know,  at  least  in  its  important  lessons.  He 
should  also  learn  as  much  later  history  as  he  can,  includ- 
ing, of  course,  the  history  of  his  own  land,  which  he  al- 
ways has  a  good  chance  to  learn  anyway.  The  elements 
of  political  and  economic  studies  should  also  be  known 
for  their  revelation  of  the  fundamental  laws  of  govern- 
ment and  business. 

The  third  is  the  problem  of  individual  man,  the  tiny 
world  of  self,  the  centre  of  all  our  interest  in  the  large 
world  of  mankind  and  the  larger  world  of  nature.  Here 
is  the  fixed  centre  of  all  our  education,  whatever  be  its 
circumference.  Here  we  learn  to  know  ourselves  first 
by  learning  to  express  ourselves  in  language  and  then 
in  literature,  thus  also  extending  our  knowledge  out- 
ward into  the  ever  near  world  of  mankind.  The  one 
question,  then,  is  what  languages  and  literatures  will 
best  serve  this  end  for  men  who  live  in  the  world  of 
western  civilization.  The  answer  is  easy.  Our  own 
language  of  course  and  if  there  is  time,  as  there  is,  the 
languages  which  best  train  us  in  expression  and  the  lit- 
eratures which  best  help  us  to  understand  both  ourselves 
and  our  civilization.  More,  if  practicable,  but  this  any- 
way. This  means  and  can  mean  only  one  thing,  the 
classics  as  fundamental  to  the  best  art  of  expression 
and  the  meaning  of  our  civilization.  The  relation  of 
the  classics  to  this  is  not  incidental  but  radical,  like  the 
relation  of  chemistry  to  biology  or  of  history  to  political 
science.  This  means  Latin  for  most,  because  of  its  more 
obviously  practical  values.  It  means  Greek  also  for 


32  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

many,  for  all  who  want  the  best,  even  the  best  Latin. 
For  intellectually  the  two  are  one,  and  the  one  is  Greek. 
It  is  the  light  of  Latin.  Without  it  Latin  studies  are 
cut  off  from  a  large  range  of  illumination  and  support. 
Directly  and  through  the  lantern  of  Latin  it  has  shone 
for  centuries  as  a  guiding  light  in  the  modern  world  of 
knowledge.  It  was  not  we  nor  the  Romans,  but  the 
Greeks,  who  first  wrote  out  and  best  wrote  out  the 
meaning  of  life  as  they  saw  it  naively  and  clearly  in  the 
bright  morning  light  of  the  springtime  of  the  world. 
Ver  illud  erat.  It  was  not  we  but  they  who  first  called 
the  world  to  democracy  and  freedom.  Do  we  care  for 
these  things?  Do  we  care  to  know  them  well?  Then 
study  Greek  and  hear  their  story  as  they  told  it.  The 
decline  in  Greek  studies  is  most  discreditable  to  us.  We 
have  been  losing  the  one  most  perfect  language  and  the 
one  literature,  besides  our  own,  of  the  greatest  value. 
Many  boys  who  would  be  glad  to  study  it  cannot  get  the 
chance.  It  should  be  provided  in  all  our  considerable 
secondary  schools  and  has  a  moral  right  to  its  historic 
place  as  a  requirement  for  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree 
in  all  our  colleges. 

With  even  a  fair  elementary  knowledge  of  the  classics 
acquired,  the  way  is  cleared  for  mastering  with  greater 
ease  the  modern  languages.  At  least  one  of  these 
should  be  well  studied.  There  will  be  time  to  do  so. 

The  three  problems  converge  in  one.  Man's  knowl- 
edge of  nature  and  mankind  assemble  in  himself.  WTiat 
explains  all  three?  Native  belief  in  the  unity  of  truth 
compels  him  to  seek  an  answer.  To  help  him  in  this  he 
should  learn  the  elements  of  philosophy  which  attempts 
the  whole  problem.  Here  the  human  mind  attains  its 


INTRODUCTION  33 

widest  range  of  vision.  And  if  all  his  problems  are  not 
solved,  he  at  least  learns  clearly  what  the  problems  are 
and  what  is  their  relation.  Such  a  man  will  always  be 
able  to  "collect  his  thoughts"  and  also  to  "know  where 
he  is."  Such  is  the  order  and  summation  of  the  knowl- 
edge which  liberates  and  liberalizes  man.  There  is  time 
to  get  a  sound  elementary  acquaintance  with  it  in  school 
and  college  days.  If  it  is  not  done  then,  it  may  never 
be  done.  It  is  too  great  a  risk  to  leave  to  chance. 

Thus  the  cause  of  the  classics  is  part  of  larger  ques- 
tions— the  unity  of  our  higher  knowledge,  the  best  train- 
ing for  all  who  can  take  it,  the  welfare  of  our  land. 
Mathematics  and  classics,  science  and  philosophy,  his- 
tory and  modern  literature  are  the  nobler  sons  in  the 
household  of  liberal  training.  To  have  known  them  all 
well  enough  to  like  them  all,  no  matter  which  one  we 
come  to  like  most,  is  the  best  liberal  education. 

We  are  called  anew  to  duty  in  the  time  of  trial  and 
may  well  listen  to  voices  of  the  past  which  bid  us  prepare 
well  to  play  our  part  like  men.  We  shall  need  their  help. 
Hear,  then,  in  closing,  the  brave  words  of  Carlyle  to  the 
students  of  Edinburgh:  "This  is  what  the  poet  sings,  a 
kind  of  road  melody  or  marching-music  of  mankind : 
Heard  are  the  Voices, 

Heard  are  the  Sages, 

The  Worlds  and  the  Ages : 

Choose  well;  your  choice  is 

Brief  and  yet  endless." 


II 

ADDRESSES  AT  CONFERENCE 


JOHN  GRIER  HIBBEN 

President  of  Princeton  University 

I  wish  to  extend  to  you  a  very  hearty  welcome  to 
Princeton  University  on  this  occasion,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  thank  you  for  your  presence,  for  your  interest 
and  cooperation  in  the  exercises  of  the  day. 

Some  may  think — I  do  not  know  of  anyone  present, 
however — but  some  persons  may  think  that  this  a 
very  inopportune  time  to  hold  a  conference  of  this  sort, 
in  the  midst  of  war  and  our  preparations  for  war.  I 
think  it  is  a  relief  to  us  all  to  turn  aside  from  our  anxie- 
ties and  our  yearnings  to  consider  such  a  subject  as 
this;  but  more  than  that,  it  seems  to  me  eminently  ap- 
propriate for  us  at  this  time,  confronted  as  we  are 
by  all  the  tragedies  of  this  war,  to  look  forward  to  the 
time  when  a  new  generation  is  to  take  up  the  problems 
and  to  bear  the  burdens  of  the  new  day. 

We  have  resting  upon  us  and  upon  all  educational  in- 
stitutions a  very  serious  responsibility,  and  we  may  well 
pause  at  this  time  to  consider  the  nature  of  that  respon- 
sibility in  preparing  the  young  men  and  women  of  the 
present  day  for  the  burdens  which  they  will  have  to 
carry  in  the  future,  for  their  task  in  the  upbuilding  of  a 
new  world.  For  we  hope — and  take  away  that  hope 
from  us,  nothing  is  left  that  is  valuable  in  life — we 
hope  and  we  confidently  expect  that  it  will  not  only  be 
a  new  world,  but  a  better  world.  In  order  that  the 

37 


38  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

young  boys  and  girls  of  the  present  day  may  meet  their 
responsibilities  and  may  be  equal  to  their  tasks,  they 
must  have  a  vigor  of  mind  such  as  the  world  has  not 
known  and  perhaps  not  even  conceived.  And  it  is  be- 
cause we  feel  that  classical  studies  impart  this  vigor  of 
intellect  that  we  believe  in  them  in  any  educational  pro- 
ject whatsoever. 

I  saw  a  notice  a  few  days  ago  in  a  paper  that  was  pre- 
pared by  a  professor  in  one  of  our  State  universities, 
in  which  he  drew  attention  to  what  he  considerd 
the  sign  and  symbol  of  a  new  departure  in  education. 
With  great  satisfaction  to  himself  and  exaltation  of 
spirit,  he  drew  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  one  of  our 
older  State  schools  they  had  brought  in  and  placed  upon 
the  platform  a  collie  dog,  for  the  purposes  of  direct  and 
minute  and  systematic  observation  on  the  part  of  the 
children — their  attention  being  fixed  upon  the  habits 
and  pranks  of  this  animal.  And  this  professor  drew  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  years  ago  in  the  tradition  of  edu- 
cation there  had  been  a  time  when  a  lamb,  "Mary's  lit- 
tle lamb,"  had  been  driven  out  of  the  school  and  the  chil- 
dren not  allowed  to  observe  its  habits  and  idiosyncra- 
cies.  This  is  the  day,  he  said,  of  the  collie  dog — of 
drawing  the  attention  of  children  to  nature  studies  so 
that  they  can  observe  and  note  what  they  have  observed. 

I  am  entirely  in  sympathy,  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
with  bringing  to  the  attention  of  our  children  every- 
thing in  this  bountiful,  mysterious  world  of  nature, 
every  plant,  every  flower,  every  animal  that  can  be  pre- 
sented to  their  attention  and  interest  in  every  possible 
way.  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  any  better  device  in 
the  bringing  up  of  a  child  than  for  him  daily  to  asso- 
ciate with  a  dog  in  the  family. 


ADDRESSES  39 

But  when  we  come  to  ask  the  question:  How  in  the 
theory  of  education  are  we  going  to  impart  not  merely 
accurate  powers  of  observation,  not  merely  the  mean- 
ings of  knowledge,  but  how  are  we  going  to  impart 
peculiar  vigor  of  mind;  how  are  we  to  give  to  our  boys 
and  girls  an  intellectual  grip  so  that  they  may  take  hold 
of  the  essence  of  things,  that  they  may  have  a  mind  that 
will  penetrate  beneath  the  surface  and  beyond  the  limits 
of  a  far  horizon ;  how  are  we  to  give  that  vigor  of  mind 
that  this  age  demands?  It  seems  to  some  very  absurd 
that  in  order  to  fit  the  young  men  and  women  for  the 
problems  of  the  present  day  we  should  let  them  go  back 
and  study  languages  of  the  far  distant  past. 

Why  is  it  absurd?  Let  me  draw  attention  not  merely, 
or  not  at  all,  for  the  purpose  of  informing  you :  far  from 
that;  but  merely  to  express  before  you  my  own  belief, 
my  own  intellectual  and  educational  creed.  We  are 
urging  boys  and  girls  to  study  these  ancient  lan- 
guages because  we  believe  that  there  was  a  period  in  the 
history  of  the  world  when  man  in  certain  eras  lifted 
himself  above  merely  animal  existence  and  through  the 
power  of  his  mind  established  a  new  order  of  life  which 
we  are  pleased  to  call  civilized  life.  That  in  doing  that 
with  whatever  other  discoveries  he  may  have  made,  and 
it  was  a  discovery  indeed,  he  revealed  the  secret  of  vigo- 
rous power  of  thought,  and  at  the  same  time  developed 
a  language  to  express  the  forms  of  that  thought. 

Whatever  we  may  say,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  ours  is 
the  civilization  that  has  come  directly  from  that  original 
civilization  of  Greece  and  Rome.  We  have,  it  is  true, 
inherited  the  content  of  the  Hebraic  civilization,  but  not 
the  forms  of  Hebraic  thought,  because  we  have  never 
accustomed  ourselves  enough  to  the  Hebrew  thought  to 


40  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

understand  its  forms  to  any  great  extent — its  language. 
But  with  Latin  and  Greek  it  is  different :  we  have  stud- 
ied the  language,  and  in  coming  in  contact  with  the 
original  language  we  come  in  contact  with  those  origi- 
nal forms  of  thought  that  have  made  our  civilization 
possible.  It  is  absolutely  absurd  to  say  they  are  out  of 
date — because  they  have  no  time  value;  and  they  have 
no  time  value  because  they  have  a  value  for  all  time. 
These  forms  of  thought,  in  the  very  language  of  Greece 
and  of  Rome,  have  a  universal  significance ;  they  do  not 
apply  to  any  age;  they  have  no  geographical  limita- 
tions; they  are  the  forms  that  we  are  following  (uncon- 
sciously it  may  be  to  ourselves)  in  every  thoughtful 
enterprise  in  which  we  are  engaged. 

There  can  be  no  inherent  opposition  between  such 
forms  of  thought  and  applied  science.  For  instance, 
in  our  day  the  very  men  who  are  making  the  inventions, 
who  are  making  the  discoveries  in  all  the  fields  of 
science,  are  using  those  great  fundamental  forms  of 
thought  which  characterize  our  particular  civilization — 
the  western  civilization — and  they  are  the  forms  of 
thought  that  were  discovered  in  that  early  age  and  dis- 
covered for  all  time  and  handed  down  as  our  particular 
inheritance. 

Therefore  we  believe  that  our  young  women  and  our 
young  men  should  come  in  contact  with  these  forms  of 
thought  embodied  in  the  very  language  which  first  gave 
them  birth.  The  great  plea  in  scholarly  and  scientific 
research  is,  Back,  back  to  the  source;  do  not  drink  of 
the  stream  as  it  passes  before  you,  but  follow  it  up  to 
the  fountain  head  in  the  great  hills  where  it  has  its  rise. 
There,  in  the  original  stream,  is  the  life  giving  draught. 

I  do  not  know,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  how  I  can  better 


ADDRESSES  41 

strike  the  key  note  of  all  the  exercises  of  this  morning 
and  this  afternoon  than  to  conclude  with  the  words 
which  have  come  to  us  to-day  from  across  the  sea: 

London,  May  31. 

Rejoice  to  hear  energetic  efforts  being  made  in 
America  to  vindicate  place  of  classical  studies.  Modern 
world  needs  ancient  writings  as  much  as  ever,  not  only 
because  they  furnish  perpetual  delight  as  models  of 
style  but  also  because  by  their  very  unlikeness  to  mod- 
ern conditions  they  touch  imagination,  stimulate 
thought,  enlarge  our  view  of  man  and  nature.  They 
enter  into  and  have  done  much  to  instill  what  is  best  in 
modern  literature  and  are  the  common  heritage  of  civi- 
lized peoples,  the  permanent  foundation  on  which  the 
republic  of  letters  has  been  built.  Save  them  for  pos- 
terity. Bryce. 

II 

NICHOLAS  MURRAY  BUTLER 

President  of  Columbia  University 
[Letter  read  by  Professor  F.  F.  Abbott] 

I  am  profoundly  interested  in  the  Conference  on 
Classical  Studies  in  Liberal  Education  to  be  held  at 
Princeton  University  on  Saturday,  June  2.  Were  it 
not  that  the  date  falls  at  our  own  commencement  sea- 
son, I  should  certainly  wish  to  be  present  to  testify  to 
my  personal  indebtedness  to  the  study  of  the  classics 
and  to  my  strong  conviction  as  to  their  supreme  impor- 
tance as  elements  and  instruments  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion. There  is  no  higher  duty  resting  upon  us  than  to 
maintain  these  studies  and  constantly  to  improve  them. 


42  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

Their  loss  to  our  secondary  and  higher  education  would 
be  an  irreparable  disaster  at  any  time,  but  never  more 
so  than  now  when  these  studies  are  the  only  existing 
natural  and  common  international  basis  for  the  study  of 
the  fundamental  literary  and  philosophical  elements  in 
our  western  civilization. 

Education  truly  conceived  is  spiritual  growth  toward 
intellectual  and  moral  perfection,  and  it  is  not  an  arti- 
ficial process  to  be  carried  on  according  to  mechanical 
formulas  toward  a  purely  material  end.  There  are 
utilities  higher  and  utilities  lower,  and  if  the  school  in 
its  zeal  to  fit  the  youth  for  self-support  were  to  neglect 
to  lay  the  foundation  for  that  higher  intellectual  and 
spiritual  life  which  constitutes  humanity's  full  stature, 
it  would  sacrifice  the  higher  utilities  to  the  lower. 

The  decline  in  the  number  of  those  American  stu- 
dents who  study  Greek  and  Latin  and  who  have  a  rea- 
sonable familiarity  with  the  history  and  literature  of 
Greece  and  Rome  is  greatly  to  be  deplored.  No  educa- 
tional substitute  for  Greek  and  Latin  has  ever  been 
found,  and  none  will  be  found  so  long  as  our  present 
civilization  endures,  for  the  simple  reason  that  to  study 
Greek  and  Latin  under  wise  and  inspiring  guidance  is 
to  study  the  embryology  of  the  civilization  which  we 
call  European  and  American.  In  every  other  field  of 
inquiry  having  to  do  with  living  things,  the  study  of 
embryology  is  strongly  emphasized  and  highly  esteemed. 
What  is  now  being  attempted  all  over  this  country  is 
to  train  youth  in  a  comprehension  of  a  civilization  which 
has  historic  and  easily  examined  roots,  without  reveal- 
ing to  them  the  fact,  and  often  without  even  under- 
standing the  fact,  that  modern  civilization  has  roots. 
Phrase  making,  scattered  and  unrelated  information 


ADDRESSES  43 

and  vague  aspirations  for  the  improvement  of  other 
people  are,  unfortunately,  now  supposed  to  be  a  satis- 
factory substitute  for  an  understanding  of  how  civili- 
zation came  to  be  what  it  is.  It  so  happens,  too,  that  in 
the  embryonic  period  of  our  civilization,  man's  intel- 
lectual and  aesthetic  achievements  were  on  a  remark- 
able scale  of  excellence.  These  achievements  rightly 
became  the  standard  of  judgment  and  of  taste  for  those 
generations  and  centuries  that  followed.  When  we  turn 
aside  from  the  study  of  Greek  and  Latin,  therefore,  we 
not  only  give  up  the  study  of  the  embryology  of  civili- 
zation but  we  lose  the  great  advantage  which  follows 
from  intimate  association  with  some  of  the  highest  forms 
of  intellectual  and  aesthetic  achievement. 

Conditions  that  now  exist  lay  a  heavy  burden  upon 
teachers  of  the  ancient  classics.  Unless  Greek  and 
Latin  are  to  become  museum  pieces,  those  who  teach 
them  must  catch  and  transmit  more  of  the  real  spirit 
and  meaning  of  the  classics  than  they  have  too  often 
been  in  the  habit  of  doing.  Well  taught,  Latin  and 
Greek  have  long  since  established  themselves  as  of  the 
first  intellectual  value  both  in  school  and  in  college  and 
in  the  practical  work  of  life.  Let  him  who  wishes  to  see 
classical  knowledge  in  action  read  any  one  of  a  hundred 
passages  in  Morley's  Life  of  Gladstone,  or  any  one  of 
a  score  of  pages  in  the  Life  of  his  one-time  colleague, 
Robert  Lowe,  Viscount  Sherbrooke,  or  the  Life  and 
Letters  of  Benjamin  Jowett,  Master  of  Balliol. 

Forty-four  years  ago  I  began,  in  stumbling  fashion 
and  not  under  the  best  auspices,  the  study  of  Latin  and 
Greek.  From  that  day  to  this  my  acquaintance,  im- 
perfect as  it  is,  with  the  languages,  the  literatures  and 
the  civilizations  of  Greece  and  Rome  has  been  a  source 


44  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

of  increasing  intellectual  satisfaction  and  a  helpful, 
often  a  guiding,  companion,  in  every  form  of  public  and 
private  activity  in  which  I  have  engaged.  A  firm  grasp 
upon  the  meaning  of  Greek  and  Roman  thought  and 
institutional  life  gives  new  significance  to  one's  knowl- 
edge of  natural  science,  a  deeper  meaning  to  one's  par- 
ticipation in  political  organization  and  activity,  and  a 
sure  standard  for  the  determination  and  appreciation 
of  excellence  in  letters  and  in  art. 


Ill 

ALFRED  STEARNS 

Principal  of  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Mass. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  schoolmasters  of  our 
great  boarding  schools  are  almost  without  exception 
strongly  opposed  to  the  modern  tendency  in  education 
which  would  exalt  the  practical  and  abolish  that  which 
cannot  be  shown  to  have  a  utilitarian  value.  By  the  so- 
called  modernist  this  attitude  is  attributed  to  a  blind  or 
wilful  adherence  to  tradition,  to  bigoted  monasticism, 
and  to  a  studied  refusal  to  welcome  radical  changes  in 
educational  ideals  claimed  as  necessary  in  order  that 
education  may  be  made  to  fit  the  needs  of  modern  life. 
Just  why  we  schoolmasters  should  be  in  such  deadly  fear 
of  discarding  worn  out  ideals  and  methods  and  accept- 
ing that  which  we  are  assured  can  alone  make  educa- 
tion effective  and  worth  while  has  never  been  made 
clear.  There  must  be  some  good  and  sound  reason  for 
our  opposition — and  there  is. 

It  is  the  duty  and  the  privilege  of  the  schoolmaster 
to  deal  with  every  side  of  the  embryonic  man  committed 
to  his  care.  Unless  he  is  blind  he  must  recognize  that 


ADDRESSES  45 

human  nature  has  at  least  two  sides.  The  intellectual 
side  is  ever  before  him.  But  there  is  the  moral  and 
spiritual  as  well.  Only  by  the  proper  blending  of  these 
different  elements  in  human  nature  and  the  studied  de- 
velopment and  training  of  each  can  well  rounded  and 
vigorous  manhood  be  secured.  Only  by  such  all-round 
training  shall  we  develop  a  human  product  that  is  some- 
thing bigger  and  finer  than  a  mere  piece  of  mechanism 
designed  to  fit  into  a  place  in  a  practical  world  but  de- 
void of  aspiration  and  idealism,  bereft  of  vision  and 
imagination,  forever  denied  the  privilege  of  tasting  the 
things  of  the  spirit  which  alone  is  life.  Well  may 
thoughtful  schoolmasters,  dealing  with  youthful  aspi- 
rations and  potentialities,  shudder  at  the  prospect  of  an 
education  that  is  essentially  a  denial  of  all  that  is  finest 
and  noblest  in  human  nature. 

Our  modernists  will  doubtless  deny  that  such  caustic 
criticism  is  justified.  But  if  close  observation  of  some 
five  thousand  American  youth  furnishes  any  fair  basis 
of  judgment,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  such 
criticism  is  none  too  severe,  and  that  the  dangers  that 
lurk  beneath  the  modern  scheme  may  well  arouse  our 
deepest  apprehension  and  call  us  forth  to  battle  with 
all  our  might  against  proposals  that  threaten  to  under- 
mine if  not  destroy  the  very  foundations  of  true  edu- 
cation. 

What  the  modernist  proposes  in  brief  is  this:  that 
practical  subjects  shall  dominate  if  not  actually  make 
up  our  curriculum;  that  the  interest  of  individual  youth 
shall  be  the  starting  point  and  guiding  principle  of  our 
labors  and  that  subjects  or  subject  matter  not  attractive 
per  se  shall  be  largely  abolished ;  that  the  idea  that  there 
exists  such  a  thing  as  mental  training  or  mental  disci- 


46  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

pline  shall  be  forever  discarded ;  that  the  history  and  lit- 
erature of  past  ages  shall  become  a  closed  book  to  our 
children  save  as  isolated  facts  may  interest  or  be  made 
to  serve  a  practical  end;  that  the  coming  generation  in 
fact  shall  be  granted  no  fair  opportunity  to  know  that 
human  nature  through  all  ages  has  been  human  nature 
still,  wrestling  with  eternal  human  problems,  inspired 
by  eternal  human  hopes  and  aspirations,  progressing 
just  in  so  far  as  it  has  caught  and  for  a  moment  held 
spiritual  visions  and  has  grasped  and  mastered  eternal 
truths.  All  this  and  much  more  the  modernist  would 
deny  our  children  that  they  may  be  made  more  efficient 
in  a  temporarily  practical  world. 

If  man  is  still  a  partaker  of  the  spiritual  nature — and 
who  of  us  will  dare  deny  it — the  cravings  of  that  spirit- 
ual nature  must  still  be  satisfied.  If  modern  human 
kind  alone  are  not  to  run  contrary  to  all  the  teachings 
of  history  and  nature,  rugged  character,  and  intellect 
too,  must  be  tested  and  developed  under  conditions  that 
call  for  hard  and  at  times  distasteful  effort.  If  the  ex- 
periences of  every  day  life  are  not  to  be  wilfully  ig- 
nored we  must  continue  to  recognize  the  truth  that 
youthful  "interest"  is  seldom  a  safe  guide  and  may  and 
often  does  point  the  road  to  weakness  and  disaster. 
And  finally,  if  youth  is  to  emerge  successfully  from  its 
hard  and  constant  struggle  against  the  mighty  forces 
that  seek  to  undermine  its  strength  and  cloud  its  higher 
vision  it  must  be  fortified  and  inspired  by  the  example 
of  those  who  through  the  passing  ages  have  fought  its 
fights,  have  dreamed  its  dreams,  and  have  won  its  vic- 
tories. As  a  basis  for  the  accomplishment  of  these  de- 
sirable ends  nothing  has  yet  been  offered  us  that  can 
properly  supplant  a  broad  classical  foundation. 


ADDRESSES  47 

Whatever  its  faults,  the  old  education  has  sought  for 
its  followers  a  higher  than  a  practical  goal.  Without 
denying  the  value  of  the  practical  it  has  recognized  in 
every  youth  the  presence  of  the  spiritual,  and  it  has 
sought  to  call  that  vital  element  in  human  nature  into 
a  larger  and  fuller  expression;  to  lift  humanity  above 
the  commonplace  into  the  realm  of  ideas  and  ideals,  and 
to  satisfy,  or  at  least  point  the  way  to  satisfaction  to 
hungry  human  souls.  Deny  the  reality  of  this  realm  of 
the  spiritual  in  human  life  and  you  deprive  mankind  of 
every  incentive  to  virtue,  to  justice,  to  chivalry,  to 
heroism,  to  sacrifice — of  all  those  things  of  the  spirit 
which  through  all  ages  men  have  valued  more  highly 
than  things  material,  have  counted  more  precious  even 
than  life.  Banish  from  our  schools  today  the  necessity 
and  privilege  of  dealing  with  the  spiritual  nature  and 
you  rob  us  of  all  that  is  finest  and  most  inspiring  in  our 
work;  all  that  prompts  to  devotion  and  sacrifice;  all  that 
to  any  high  minded  and  earnest  schoolmaster  makes  his 
work  the  noblest  of  all  professions,  the  highest  of  all 
human  callings. 

'Scenting  this  modern  tendency  now  running  riot  in 
our  educational  world  Emerson,  years  ago,  sounded  a 
note  of  protest  and  alarm.  "Let  us  not  forget,"  he 
said,  "that  the  adoption  of  the  test  'what  is  it  good  for' 
would  abolish  the  rose  and  exalt  in  triumph  the  cab- 
bage." God  spare  us  from  the  day  when  a  sordid  ma- 
terialistic gluttony  shall  leave  us  no  room  for  or  no 
appreciation  of  the  beauty,  the  fragrance,  and  the  in- 
spiration of  the  things  of  the  spirit. 


48  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

IV 

ROSCOE  POUND 

Dean  of  the  Law  School,  Harvard  University 

It  is  a  bit  humiliating  to  those  who  had  thought  the 
law  a  learned  profession  to  hear  a  lawyer  of  high  stand- 
ing at  the  bar  say  gravely  to  the  highest  court  of  the 
land:  "Your  Honors,  this  is  a  proceeding  in  rem  and 
the  rem  is  before  the  court."  True,  the  substance  is 
more  important  than  the  form,  and  if  one  or  the  other 
must  be  neglected  no  doubt  it  should  be  the  form.  But 
something  more  is  involved.  One  whose  training  has 
been  so  defective  as  to  allow  him  to  overlook  the  dif- 
ference between  a  nominative  and  an  accusative  is  not 
unlikely  to  overlook  other  matters  which  do  not  lie  upon 
the  surface  of  things — and  it  is  the  business  of  the  law- 
yer not  to  overlook  anything  that  may  bear  upon  the 
affair  in  hand. 

It  is  not  merely  the  obvious  need  of  study  of  Latin 
in  order  to  understand  law  Latin,  and  the  Latin  maxims 
and  phrases  of  which  the  books  are  full,  that  leads 
teachers  of  law  to  insist  upon  the  importance  of  classi- 
cal training.  It  is  the  lawyer's  every  day  business  not 
only  to  reason  soundly  but  to  express  his  ideas  clearly 
and  accurately;  to  make  what  he  has  put  on  paper  so 
clear  and  so  definite  as  to  convey  his  precise  meaning  to 
disputants  "fired  with  zeal  to  pervert"  and  thus  to  fore- 
stall controversy.  It  has  been  said  that  a  great  deal  of 
bad  law  is  simply  bad  English.  In  like  manner  a  great 
deal  of  bad  law  making,  a  great  deal  of  bad  pleading, 
and  a  great  deal  of  bad  conveyancing  is  simply  bad 
English,  in  the  sense  that  the  writer  has  failed  to  form- 
ulate accurately  what  he  had  in  mind  and  to  express  it 


ADDRESSES  49 

with  precision.  Language  is  the  instrument  of  thought 
as  well  as  the  medium  by  which  thought  is  preserved, 
and  one  whose  philological  instincts  are  undeveloped  is 
not  likely  to  think  critically  nor  to  express  his  conclu- 
sions exactly. 

There  is  no  better  way  for  the  student  to  train  him- 
self in  the  choice  of  the  very  word  that  will  fit  his 
thought  than  by  translation  from  Latin  and  Greek. 
Thus  he  develops  habits  of  analysis,  habits  of  discrimi- 
nating choice  of  words,  habits  of  accurate  apprehension 
of  the  meaning  which  another  has  sought  to  convey  by 
written  words,  which  lead  to  power  of  expression  and  to 
power  of  clear  thinking.  Such  habits  are  worth  more 
to  the  lawyer  than  all  the  information  which  a  modern 
school  may  hope  to  impart. 

In  arranging  the  professional  curriculum  we  have 
constantly  to  combat  the  fallacy  that  no  one  is  bound  to 
know  anything  unless  he  has  had  a  formal  "course"  in 
it;  that  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  law  must  be  ex- 
plored for  detailed  information  with  the  aid  of  a  teacher 
in  order  to  prepare  the  student  for  the  bar.  In  con- 
trast the  academic  law  school  seeks  to  train  a  body  of 
men  who  have  so  mastered  the  art  of  legal  reasoning, 
and  have  so  solid  a  foundation  in  legal  science,  that  they 
may  approach  new  problems  in  new  fields  and  old  prob- 
lems in  unfamiliar  fields  with  assurance  and  may  achieve 
results  of  real  value.  The  same  fallacy  underlies  cur- 
rent ideas  of  preparation  for  study  of  the  law.  It  is 
said  that  there  is  so  much  to  learn  in  the  lawyer's  special 
field  that  specialization  for  that  vocation  must  begin  a 
long  way  back;  that  many  things  which  he  ought  to 
know  must  find  a  place  in  his  preliminary  training  or  be 
forever  neglected.  Hence,  history,  economics,  the  so- 


50  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

cial  and  political  sciences,  and  one  might  say  equally, 
the  physical  and  the  natural  sciences — "things  that  he 
can  use" — are  to  replace  the  classics  completely.  But 
what  he  will  use  chiefly  is  his  mind.  The  best  founda- 
tion for  professional  training  is  mental  habits  formed 
in  school  and  college.  The  requisite  habits  are  not 
formed  by  special  courses  in  everything  that  a  lawyer 
needs  to  know. 

Mr.  Justice  Holmes  has  said  that  it  is  the  business  of 
law  schools  to  teach  law  in  the  grand  manner.  The  so- 
cial demand  is  not  for  acute  legal  tradesmen,  but  for 
great  lawyers  who  will  be  useful  to  society  as  well  as 
successful  in  their  practice.  The  call  is  for  something 
more  than  men  who  know  their  books  of  practice  and 
their  reports.  It  is  for  cultivated  men  who  have  been 
taught  to  use  these  books  as  means,  and  have  the  trained 
minds,  the  imagination  and  the  ideals  to  employ  these 
means  for  great  ends.  No  one  need  wonder  that  the 
legal  profession  has  come  to  be  somewhat  discredited  in 
a  time  when  the  education  in  the  humanities  that  made 
the  great  lawyers  of  the  past  has  become  discredited  in 
the  profession  itself;  when,  as  a  great  judge  has  put  it, 
"there  comes  from  the  bar  the  new  gospel  that  learning 
is  out  of  date,  and  that  the  man  for  the  times  is  no 
longer  the  thinker  and  the  scholar,  but  the  smart  man 
unencumbered  with  other  artillery  than  the  latest  edi- 
tion of  the  Digests  and  the  latest  revision  of  the  Stat- 
utes." The  law  has  been  made  an  instrument  of  justice 
by  men  trained  in  the  humanities  like  Lord  Mansfield 
and  Lord  Selborne,  not  by  men  of  exclusively  profes- 
sional education  like  Lord  Kenyon  and  Lord  St.  Leon- 
ards. 

And  so  the  teacher  of  law  prays  for  students  of  good 


ADDRESSES  51 

mental  habits  who  can  analyze,  who  know  how  to  make, 
verify  and  discard  a  series  of  working  hypotheses  as 
those  must  who  translate  Latin  and  Greek  at  sight,  who 
can  see  the  relations  of  word  to  word,  and  can  perceive 
that  two  and  two  make  four  and  say  so  accurately,  in- 
stead of  writing  pages  of  plausible  moonshine  to  prove 
that  they  may  make  five. 


LEWELLYS  F.  BARKER 

President  of  the  American  Neurological  Association,  1916 
Professor  of  Clinical  Medicine,  Johns  Hopkins  University 

Of  liberal  education  Medicine  may  have  some  right 
to  speak,  for  she  has  demanded  it  as  a  prerequisite  of 
those  who  are  to  enter  the  medical  profession ;  and  medi- 
cal men,  coming  as  they  do  into  close  contact  with  the 
lives  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  have  excellent 
opportunities  to  observe  the  effects  of  different  kinds  of 
education  upon  human  life.  It  is  now  generally  admit- 
ted that  an  education  to  be  liberal  must  include  natural 
science  on  the  one  hand  and  language,  literature  and 
history  on  the  other — knowledge  of  the  world  around 
us  and  knowledge  of  human  life,  of  man's  capacities  and 
ideals,  of  his  longings  and  achievements,  of  his  political 
theories  and  social  aims,  of  his  appreciations  of  the 
beautiful,  and  of  his  systems  of  faith  and  worship.  Now 
physicians,  from  the  time  of  Hippocrates  on,  have 
known  how  to  value  a  knowledge  of  things  as  well  as  a 
knowledge  of  words.  When  classical  studies  were  pre- 
dominant in  education,  natural  science  being  neglected, 
medicine  held  up  the  hands  of  those  who  urged  the  ob- 
jective study  of  external  nature,  though  it  was,  it  is  true, 


52  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

a  great  humanist,  Scaliger,  who,  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, in  a  letter  to  a  physician,  Jerome  Cardan,  most 
concisely  expressed  the  idea  of  "a  true  cognition  of  the 
things  (or  objects)  themselves,  taken  directly  from  the 
things  themselves."*  It  is  not  probable,  I  think,  that 
medical  men  will  ever  favor  neglect  of  the  "discipline 
of  things"  to  the  injury  of  education.  At  present  some 
of  us  in  medicine  feel  that  education  is  in  danger  of  be- 
coming illiberal  in  the  other  direction,  first,  because 
schools  are  growing  remiss  about  humanistic  rather  than 
about  physical  subjects  and,  secondly,  because  of  the 
tendency  in  the  colleges  to  displace  liberal  by  vocational 
education.  A  protest  seems  due  against  the  unwise  sub- 
ordination, in  the  curriculum  of  liberal  studies,  of  lan- 
guage, literature,  history  and  philosophy.  If  these  sub- 
jects, which  are  fully  as  important  for  the  welfare  of 
individuals  and  nations  as  are  the  physical  sciences, 
were  to  be  neglected,  all  human  progress  would  be  en- 
dangered, and  medicine  as  well  as  other  sciences  would 
suffer.  Furthermore,  in  our  desire  to  be  "practical,"  to 
be  "efficient,"  to  be  "modern,"  we  must  take  care  not  to 
become  narrow  minded  and  materialistic,  not  to  become 
unimaginative  and  unsympathetic,  not  to  sacrifice  a 
greater  good  that  is  remote  by  striving  too  eagerly  after 
a  lesser  good  that  seems  near.  Science  and  thought  have 
been  created  by  men  who  desired  to  know,  not  in  order 
to  make  money,  not  in  order  to  become  famous,  but 
simply  that  they  might  know.  Let  us  not  forget  the 
old  maxim  that  "to  seek  utility  everywhere  is  most  un- 
suitable to  lofty  and  free  natures."  To  be  liberally 
educated  a  man  must  have  gained  a  belief  in  the  value 
of  knowledge,  have  learned  the  methods  by  which  true 

*  Reruin  ipsarum  cognitio  vera  e  rebus  ipsis. 


ADDRESSES  53 

knowledge  is  acquired,  and  have  applied  these  methods 
in  his  studies  of  nature  and  of  man. 

The  idea  of  evolution,  which  we  owe  to  science,  is  a 
conception  so  fruitful  that  today  we  regard  any  study 
superficial  that  does  not  include  an  examination  of  de- 
velopment and  of  origins.  Even  in  our  professional 
curricula,  genetic  studies  dare  not  be  ignored.  The 
modern  medical  student  must  study  not  only  the  an- 
atomy of  the  adult  human  body  but  also  its  embryology. 
To  understand  what  we  see,  we  must  know  how  it  has 
come  to  be.  Thus  appreciative  of  the  study  of  sources, 
men  of  science  should  be  the  last  to  undervalue  the  study 
of  antiquity.  For  just  as  modern  religions  are  largely 
traceable  to  the  ancient  religions  of  the  Hebrews,  the 
Greeks  and  the  Hindus,  so  the  languages,  the  literature, 
the  politics,  the  laws  and  the  philosophy  of  our  times 
are  descendants  of  those  of  the  ancient  world.  To  un- 
derstand what  we  say,  hear,  read,  think,  feel  and  do  in 
America  today,  it  is  of  help  to  know  what  was  said, 
written,  thought,  felt  and  done  when  human  life  was 
less  complex  than  it  is  now.  In  this  connection  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  civilizations  of  Greece  and  Rome  is,  above 
all,  of  aid,  for  it  is  upon  them,  in  the  main,  that  our 
own  social  development  is  based.  Thus  from  Greece 
we  have  inherited  our  literary  forms,  the  key  thoughts 
of  our  intellectual  life,  and  the  artistic  creations  that 
determine  our  standards  for  the  discernment  and  en- 
joyment of  beauty  and  other  excellence;  and  from 
Rome  we  have  derived  many  of  our  ideas  of  law,  of 
order,  of  organization,  of  administration  and  of  states- 
manship. To  Greece  and  Rome  together,  then,  we  are 
very  largely  indebted  for  the  foundations  of  our  intel- 
lectual life  and  of  our  personal  and  national  character. 


54  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

The  study  of  antiquity  and  of  the  streams  of  influence 
that  flow  down  from  it  to  our  own  times  is,  therefore, 
an  essential  part  of  an  education  that  may  be  called 
liberal. 

Though  much  of  the  knowledge  of  the  ancient  world 
referred  to  can  be  obtained  from  courses  in  the  classics 
independent  of  the  study  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  lan- 
guages, I  am  convinced  that  the  time  and  energy  spent 
in  learning  these  languages  by  young  persons  who  have 
capacity  for  language  study  will  be  very  profitably  em- 
ployed, provided  the  curriculum  is  wisely  constructed 
and  the  teaching  is  done  by  men  of  mind  who  know 
how  to  appeal  to  the  mind.  Of  course  no  one  desires 
to  support  bad  teaching  of  the  classical  languages,  or 
teaching  that  is  repulsive  to  students  and  disappointing 
in  the  results  it  yields.  No  one,  today,  favors  a  pre- 
dominantly classical  education  that  excludes  the  teach- 
ing of  our  own  and  other  modern  languages,  modern 
literature,  modern  history,  and  the  sciences  of  nature. 
Nor  does  anyone  wish  to  swamp  the  time  table  of  our 
schools  with  classical  courses  so  as  to  cripple  the  teach- 
ing in  non-classical  subjects.  The  danger  in  this  coun- 
try is  quite  in  the  opposite  direction.  Undoubtedly,  the 
study  of  the  classical  languages,  especially  of  Latin,  is 
of  value  in  helping  one  to  learn  to  think  and  to  express 
one's  self  clearly  and  precisely  in  his  own  tongue.  It 
makes,  too,  the  study  of  French,  Italian  and  Spanish  a 
very  simple  task.  Acquaintance  with  Latin  grammar, 
because  of  its  exactness  and  of  the  variety  of  its  forms, 
makes  the  understanding  of  the  grammar  of  English 
and  of  a  number  of  other  languages  easy.  Further,  a 
large  part  of  our  English  vocabulary  has  been  directly 
derived  from  Latin  and  Greek  sources,  another  part  in- 


ADDRESSES  55 

directly  from  them  through  the  Romance  languages. 
What  a  short  cut  to  the  meaning  of  English  words  a 
knowledge  of  suffixes,  of  affixes  and  of  roots  affords! 
This  is  true  even  of  the  vocabulary  of  ordinary  life,  but 
when  we  recall  the  terminology  of  the  sciences,  especial- 
ly of  medicine,  we  must  regard  Latin  and  Greek  as 
actually  vocational  subjects  for  the  study  of  science  and 
for  the  prospective  doctor  of  medicine.  Many  a  physi- 
cian who  entered  medicine,  as  I  did,  with  "little  Latin 
and  less  Greek"  regrets  that  he  had  not  more.  I  would 
urge  every  young  person  looking  forward  to  medicine 
as  a  career  to  devote  some  time  to  classical  studies.  In- 
deed, I  shall  go  farther  and  say  that  a  total  inaptitude 
for  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek  should  make  one 
gravely  question  his  fitness  for  a  medical  career.  Some 
men,  it  is  true,  have  achieved  success  in  medicine  with- 
out any  study  of  either  Latin  or  Greek.  But  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  classics  will  give  a  man  a  larger  chance  of 
success  than  he  could  otherwise  have.  The  physician 
who  has  gained  the  culture  and  the  mental  training  that 
result  from  a  study  of  the  literature  and  the  history  of 
Greece  and  Rome  is  less  likely  to  have  a  narrow  view  of 
life,  to  be  vulgar,  to  be  indiscriminative,  to  be  vacuous, 
or  to  be  unsympathetic  than  he  would  have  been  without 
these  advantages.  If  his  studies  have  been  thorough,  he 
will  have  done  much  toward  avoiding  the  plight  of  Alci- 
biades,  who  had  to  confess  to  Socrates  that  he  had  "ne- 
glected the  needs  of  his  soul."  Perhaps,  too,  he  will 
have  caught  a  little  of  the  spirit  that  Aphrodite,  "the 
Cyprian,"  was  to  bring  to  the  Athenians,  "a  spirit  of 
wisdom,  of  passion  and  of  excellence." 


56  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

VI 

VICTOR  C.  VAUGHAN 

Chairman  of  Committee  on  Medicine  and  Hygiene  in  the 

National  Research  Council 

President  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  1914 
Dean  of  the  Medical  School,  University  of  Michigan 

Education  has  been  defined  as  the  development  and 
modification  of  behavior  through  experience.  Animal 
behavior  is  determined  by  the  nature  and  training  of  the 
nervous  system.  This  is  the  machine  which  must  be  put 
into  operation,  and  man  surpasses  other  animals  in  the 
excellence  and  capabilities  which  he  possesses  in  these 
directions.  Systematic  education  should  begin  with  the 
training  of  the  five  senses  because  it  is  through  these 
avenues  only  that  we  acquire  knowledge.  Through 
them,  the  cells  of  the  brain  cortex  are  brought  into  re- 
lation with  the  non-ego.  This  connection  with  the  outer 
world  is  made  in  the  infant  soon  after  birth  and  its 
training  and  development  constitute  the  basis  of  all 
education.  It  is  desirable  that  perceptions  should  be 
accurate  to  the  finest  detail,  that  the  impressions  made 
upon  the  brain  should  be  sharply  defined  and  so  firmly 
fixed  that  they  may  be  retained  and  reviewed  in  the 
future  and  that  they  should  be  properly  correlated,  so 
that  their  relationship  may  be  correctly  determined. 
To  the  extent  that  these  conditions  are  fulfilled,  accu- 
racy of  perception,  reliability  of  memory  and  sound- 
ness of  judgment  are  secured.  These  are  the  funda- 
mental principles  in  all  mental  development.  Defect  at 
any  step  of  the  process  disturbs  the  whole  and  lessens 
the  value  of  the  final  product.  Faulty  observation  leads 
to  inaccuracies  in  memory  pictures  and  errors  in  judg- 
ment. The  nervous  mechanism  of  man  is  in  no  indi- 


ADDRESSES  57 

vidual  so  perfectly  developed  that  he  escapes  error  in 
all  his  mental  processes  or  reaches  perfection  in  any. 
The  purpose  of  education  is  to  reduce  these  defects  and 
to  improve  mental  processes  so  far  as  possible,  and  suc- 
cess is  limited  by  the  natural  talent  and  adaptability  of 
the  student. 

Since  the  avenues  in  which  mental  training  may  be 
directed  are  unlimited,  and  since  diversity  of  learning  is 
desirable  and  beneficial,  it  seems  evident  that  educa- 
tional lines  should  be  multiple  and  lead  to  all  points  of 
the  compass.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  regret  to  me  that 
the  old  time  classical  curriculum  is  no  longer  obligatory 
on  all  college  men,  but  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  the 
study  of  Greek  and  Latin  is  now  so  generally  neglected. 
It  is  the  purpose  of  this  brief  paper  to  point  out  some 
advantages  to  medical  students  in  the  study  of  these 
dead  languages. 

One  cannot  be  a  thorough  student  of  any  subject 
without  giving  close  attention  to  detail,  and  the  inflec- 
tions of  noun,  verb  and  adjective  in  Greek  and  Latin 
render  this  necessary.  Moreover  with  the  close  atten- 
tion that  the  student  must  give  to  variations  in  the 
structure  of  words  he  soon  perceives  that  these  indicate 
variations  in  shade  of  meaning  and  then  the  joy  of  study 
takes  possession  and  leads  to  enthusiasm.  Observation 
is  sharpened,  perception  becomes  more  delicate,  and  the 
student  finds  an  increased  pleasure  in  the  intensity  with 
which  he  seeks  to  interpret  the  author's  meaning  fully 
and  correctly.  This  habit  of  close  observation,  of  atten- 
tion to  detail,  of  looking  for  fine  distinctions  and  shades 
of  difference,  and  the  alertness  of  mind  awakened  in  an 
individual  by  these  habits,  prove  of  inestimable  service 
to  him  both  in  his  experimental  work  in  his  laboratory 


58  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

and  at  the  bedside  of  his  patient  when  he  becomes  a 
scientific  medical  man.  Indeed,  the  progress  of  medi- 
cine is  determined  largely  by  the  accuracy  and  precision 
with  which  observations  are  made.  The  careless  or  the 
superficial  man  is  not  suited  either  to  the  practice  of 
medicine  or  to  the  conduct  of  experiments  for  the  eluci- 
dation of  medical  problems.  It  is  the  painter  who 
brings  out  detail,  and  not  the  impressionist,  who  is 
needed  in  scientific  medicine.  William  Harvey,  whose 
keenness  for  investigation  and  accuracy  of  observation 
led  to  the  discovery  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  after 
many  years  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  classics,  gave 
five  to  the  study  of  medicine,  and  the  fitness  of  his  prep- 
aration was  demonstrated  by  his  work.  I  do  not  claim 
that  the  qualities  of  close  and  careful  observation  can  be 
attained  only  by  the  study  of  the  classics  and  still  less 
am  I  prepared  to  hold  that  all  who  study  the  classics 
attain  these  qualities.  But  I  do  hold  that  carelessness 
and  superficiality  are  incompatible  with  the  thorough 
study  of  Latin  and  Greek.  The  pursuit  of  any  study 
without  close  attention  and  accuracy  of  observation  has 
but  little  disciplinary  value,  and  failure  to  secure  these 
essentials  is  more  frequently  the  fault  of  the  teacher 
than  of  the  pupil. 

The  practical  value  of  Greek  and  Latin,  as  aids  to 
the  exact  meaning  of  scientific  terms,  as  shown  by  their 
derivations,  is  denied  by  no  one.  But  some  claim  that 
the  giving  of  from  four  to  six  years,  or  even  more,  to 
the  digging  of  Greek  roots  and  the  trimming  of  Latin 
stems  is  too  big  a  price  to  pay  for  the  result.  Possibly 
this  is  true  if  the  student  gets  nothing  but  a  knowledge 
of  etymology  from  his  classical  studies  and  if  the  time 
and  energy  given  to  the  classics  are  so  excessive  that  he 


ADDRESSES  59 

cannot  seek  knowledge  in  other  fields.  The  fundamen- 
tal training  of  every  one  who  aspires  to  be  listed  among 
the  educated  should  be  broad,  and  I  have  elsewhere 
("The  Nature  and  Purpose  of  Education")  given  my 
conception  of  what  it  should  cover.  In  an  experience  of 
more  than  forty  years  as  a  teacher  of  medical  students  I 
easily  distinguish  among  my  auditors  those  who  know 
Greek  and  those  who  do  not,  especially  when  I  use 
scientific  terms,  such  as  a  "toxicogenic  bacillus"  or  a 
"pathognomonic  symptom."  I  see  the  eyes  of  the  for- 
mer fill  with  the  light  of  comprehension,  while  those  of 
the  latter  are  closed  in  ignorance  and  mystification. 
Constant  consultation  of  the  best  dictionaries  (a  habit 
seldom  acquired  by  medical  students)  fails  to  supplant 
the  defect  in  preliminary  education. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  that  the  use  of  Latin  names  in 
medicine  and  generally  in  science  is  pure  affectation  and 
should  be  discontinued.  This  statement  could  be  made 
only  by  one  grossly  ignorant  of  the  facts.  The  word 
"salt"  may  mean  any  one  of  a  thousand  compounds,  but 
"Sodii  chloridum"  and  "Magnesii  sulphas"  are  definite 
and  capable  of  only  one  interpretation,  be  the  reader 
English,  French,  Italian,  Russian,  Spanish  or  German. 
Common  names  of  plants  and  animals  vary  in  different 
sections  of  the  same  country,  while  the  scientific  desig- 
nation is  the  same  the  world  over.  The  language  em- 
ployed by  an  exact  science  like  chemistry,  botany  or 
bacteriology  must  be  one  which  has  already  crystallized, 
and  not  one  which  means  one  thing  today  and  may  have 
quite  another  meaning  a  year  from  now,  or  even  a  cen- 
tury in  the  future.  We  must  not  forget,  even  in  the 
pursuit  of  the  rapidly  growing  modern  sciences,  that 
there  is  a  biology  of  language  and  that  it  like  every- 


60  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

thing  else  mundane  comes  into  existence,  goes  through 
a  process  of  evolution,  suffers  modifications  from  its  en- 
vironment, and  does  not  crystallize  into  exactness  until 
it  is  no  longer  used  orally;  and  not  until  this  period  is 
reached  and  it  is  no  longer  subject  to  modification,  does 
it  become  the  suitable  form  for  exact,  scientific  expres- 
sion. 


VII 

HENRY  H.  DONALDSON 

Chairman  of  Committee  on  Anatomy  in  National  Research  Council 
President  of  Association  of  American  Anatomists,  1916-1917 
Professor  of  Neurology,  The  Wistar  Institute,  Philadelphia 

It  is  my  privilege  to  outline,  as  best  I  may,  the  rela- 
tions of  biology  and  biologists  to  the  classics. 

In  naming  plants  and  animals,  in  systems  of  classi- 
fication— and  for  parts  of  the  body — biologists  use 
Latin  and  Greek  as  a  lingua  franca.  It  is  true  that 
when  left  to  their  own  devices  they  sometimes  produce 
monstrous  names — but  the  more  cautious  among  them 
usually  invite  a  classical  colleague  to  be  present  at  the 
christening.  It  is  the  safer  plan.  Doubtless  there  was 
some  classical  literature  on  biology — but  very  little  of 
it  has  been  preserved.  Aristotle's  "History  of  Ani- 
mals" is  a  conspicuous  example  of  the  best.  It  is  inter- 
esting reading  though  entirely  descriptive,  yet  some  of 
the  observations  are  remarkably  close. 

For  the  biologist  then  we  may  say  that  the  content  of 
the  classics  is  small  and  that  his  use  of  the  languages  is 
for  the  most  part  limited  to  a  nomenclature  which  is 
purely  technical. 

To  be  sure  those  fortunate  enough  to  have  acquired 


ADDRESSES  61 

an  easy  reading  knowledge  of  Greek  or  Latin,  or  of 
both,  have  access  to  a  mass  of  literature  closed  to  the 
majority.  Nevertheless  the  best  of  the  ancient  writings 
are  to  be  found  in  some  modern  language  and  are  open 
to  us  all. 

From  the  side  of  biology,  the  science,  therefore,  it  is 
possible  to  make  but  a  slender  argument  for  the  teach- 
ing of  ancient  languages  to  youth  in  general. 

If  now  we  turn  to  the  biologist,  the  man,  who  must 
perforce  transcend  the  limitations  of  his  science,  the 
case  is  altered.  The  broader  concepts  with  which  the 
biologist  deals  are  often  very  ancient  and,  like  other  men 
of  science,  he  is  called  upon  to  use  some  rather  compre- 
hensive ideas.  He  recognizes  that  while  knowledge  has 
grown  and  beliefs  have  changed  in  the  course  of  the  cen- 
turies, the  method  of  handling  ideas,  our  logic,  is  much 
the  same.  The  history  of  ideas  and  the  formation  of  be- 
liefs are  therefore  to  him  matters  of  importance  for  the 
interpretation  of  modern  thought,  best  made  when  its 
development  is  understood. 

It  is  worth  noting  perhaps  that  biologically  speaking 
we  are  very  close  to  our  classic  past.  If  we  call  it  2500 
years  from  now  till  then,  it  follows  that  only  twenty-five 
human  lives,  twenty-five  centenarians  holding  hands  are 
needed  to  bridge  the  gap,  while  from  seventy-five  to  one 
hundred  generations  are  all  that  separate  us  here  from 
the  fellow  citizens  of  Solon.  From  the  standpoint  of  the 
stock-breeder  the  interval  is  trifling.  To  neglect  these 
forerunners  and  their  times  would  seem  almost  like 
showing  disrespect  to  the  elders  of  the  family,  for  to 
these  and  to  their  times  we  can  trace  the  beginnings  of 
our  peculiar  literature,  philosophy  and  art.  These  things 
are  the  great  heritage  of  western  Europe  and  her  colo- 


62  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

nies,  and  the  man  who  would  contemplate  the  thought  of 
today  must  view  it  against  the  background  of  antiquity. 
That  background  must  be  preserved  to  us  and  there 
should  be  those  set  apart  to  illuminate  and  to  interpret 
it.  This  has  always  been  the  function  of  the  classicists, 
the  men  of  broad  culture,  and  to-day  when  intellectual 
interests  are  diversified  as  never  before,  the  need  for 
such  scholars  is  even  greater  than  in  times  gone  by. 
The  effective  specialist  of  to-day  is  no  longer  a  man  who 
aims  at  intellectual  aloofness,  but  on  the  contrary  is  one 
who  seeks  to  focus  on  his  special  problem  the  wisdom  of 
the  world.  Nothing  is  alien  to  him,  not  even  such  things 
as  lie  outside  the  intellectual  realm.  It  is  in  the  field  of 
literature,  where  the  classic  models  are  found,  that  we 
make  contact  with  the  various  forms  of  the  emotions  and 
the  aesthetic  feelings — a  contact  needed  for  the  expan- 
sion of  any  normal  soul. 

In  biology  to  be  sure  the  expression  of  the  emotions 
tends  to  appear  most  strongly  in  controversial  litera- 
ture— but  the  nature  lover  is  not  unknown  and  the 
aesthetic  feelings  play  a  much  larger  part  than  one 
might  suspect,  for  beauty  is  rarely  missed,  even  in  the 
laboratory. 

To  be  worth  while,  a  discussion  such  as  this  requires 
that  we  arrive  at  some  sort  of  conclusion — even  though 
a  very  general  one. 

Considerations  familiar  to  most  of  us  make  it  very 
evident  that  there  is  no  panacea  which  can  be  used  in 
the  art  of  education  any  more  than  in  the  art  of  medi- 
cine. Each  individual  calls  for  special  treatment.  It 
is  certain  too  that  there  always  will  be  those  to  whom 
the  wisdom,  the  beauties  and  the  historic  associations  of 
the  ancient  masterpieces  will  appeal,  and  who  as  stu- 


ADDRESSES  63 

dents  prefer  the  classic  field — but  it  is  just  as  certain 
that  there  will  always  be  others  to  whom  the  natural 
sciences  are  of  absorbing  interest.  The  relative  num- 
bers in  these  two  groups  have  no  bearing  on  our  argu- 
ment. For  the  natural  science  group,  Latin  as  an  aid 
to  the  comprehension  of  their  own  language  and  those 
of  the  Romance  family,  is  indicated,  but  I  would  not 
confuse  the  teaching  of  Latin  for  this  purpose  with  a 
cultivation  of  the  classics. 

For  this  great  work  we  must  depend  on  those  who 
are  or  would  be  masters  of  the  ancient  learning,  and 
whose  significance  and  dignity  in  the  university  world 
protects  them  from  the  dust  of  passing  gusts.  The 
biologists  most  certainly  need  such  colleagues  and  both 
have  their  place  on  the  faculty  of  any  university  pre- 
senting a  curriculum  by  which  the  real  needs  of  every 
student  can  be  met. 

VIII 

CHARLES  H.  HERTY 

President  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  1915-1916 
Editor  of  Journal  of  Industrial  and  Engineering  Chemistry,  New  York  City 

The  American  is  temperamentally  disposed  to  look 
for  "short  cuts."  In  chemistry  this  exhibits  itself  in  the 
desire  for  early  specialization,  at  the  necessary  sacrifice 
of  well  rounded  undergraduate  training.  Recently  I 
was  asked  by  a  man,  blessed  with  an  abundance  of 
worldly  goods,  whose  son  expected  to  enter  college  in  a 
few  months — "Is  it  best  for  my  boy  to  specialize  in 
physical,  organic  or  inorganic  chemistry?"  He  seemed 
surprised  at  the  answer — "Give  the  boy  a  sound  and 


64  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

broad  education  and  the  matter  of  specialization  will 
take  care  of  itself." 

In  such  preliminary  education  surely  the  classics 
should  play  an  important  part  if  for  no  other  reason 
than  that  thereby  clarity  of  expression  is  assured.  A 
brief  editorial  experience  has  shown  too  well  how  often 
inability  to  write  correctly  is  accompanied  by  or  perhaps 
is  the  evidence  of  inability  to  think  correctly.  It  would 
be  interesting  to  trace  the  character  of  the  training 
which  constituted  the  ground  work  in  such  cases. 

To  the  young  man  looking  forward  to  chemistry  as  a 
profession,  the  patient  and  thorough  drill  of  courses  in 
the  classics  is  too  often  irritating  and  seemingly  a  waste 
of  time.  He  is  forgetful  of  the  mental  gymnastics 
whose  prototype  in  physical  development  he  so  willing- 
ly recognizes;  he  fails  to  realize  that  the  day  is  coming 
when,  for  the  solution  of  some  important  problem  for 
which  he  is  responsible,  he  will  need  an  elastic  thinking 
power,  qualified  to  hold  fast  to  essentials  and  to  cast 
aside  non-essentials ;  he  will  have  to  think  true,  to  reason 
accurately;  and,  with  all  these  well  done,  he  will  have 
to  prepare  a  report  either  for  the  scientific  journals  or 
for  a  Board  of  Directors,  and  upon  its  writing  he  will 
be  judged.  It  is  worth  the  struggle  of  the  earlier  years 
to  make  that  showing  all  that  it  should  be. 

There  is  another  side,  however.  We  call  for  classical 
training;  and  yet  we  do  so  almost  in  despair.  It  is  a 
fact  that  the  young  men  who  undertake  to  study  chem- 
istry are  in  large  measure  inadequately  prepared  in  the 
graces  of  expression.  Many  of  them  are  lacking  in 
good  taste.  How  to  establish  it  in  a  fallow  mind  is  a 
question  that  men  of  science  do  not  know  how  to  answer. 
Unfortunately  an  arts  degree  is  no  sufficient  guarantee 


ADDRESSES  65 

of  it.  Very  often  home  training  in  an  atmosphere  of 
general  culture  will  provide  it,  with  no  more  background 
than  a  course  of  training  at  a  secondary  school.  I  think 
it  fair  to  state  that  when  a  knowledge  of  human  reac- 
tions is  gathered  from  the  study  of  the  classics  the  train- 
ing may  be  said  to  be  good,  but  whenever  the  classics  are 
taught  as  so  much  punishment  at  hard  labor,  teachers 
of  chemistry  find  no  advantage  in  such  work. 

Unfortunately  it  is  not  given  to  us  to  select  our  stu- 
dents, we  must  take  those  that  come  to  us.  We  want 
them  to  be  whole  men,  and  when  they  are  not  we  can 
do  no  better  than  scold;  which  is  usually  to  no  effect 
and  is  without  profit  to  anyone.  Nevertheless,  when  we 
consider  the  many  students  that  have  passed  before  us 
in  review,  the  outline  of  the  effect  of  the  classics  comes 
before  us.  It  is  not  necessary  here  to  speak  of  the  intel- 
lectual pleasures  which  arise  from  daily  habitation  of  the 
atmosphere  of  thoughts  of  the  great  masters  of  the  past, 
or  of  the  broadened  sympathies  toward  mankind  result- 
ing from  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  literature  of  the 
past.  I  do,  however,  gladly  bear  testimony  to  the  fact 
that  after  many  years  of  teaching  chemistry  the  record 
of  attainments  of  those  who  have  worked  with  me  points 
clearly  to  the  fact  that,  taken  as  groups,  the  young  men 
who  specialized  in  chemistry  after  completing  under- 
graduate courses  including  much  Latin  and  Greek  are 
they  who  have  eventually  risen  highest. 

If  we  are  to  rise  above  mediocrity  in  our  scientific 
work,  surely  it  must  be  upon  the  solid  foundation  of  £ 
broad  and  liberal  education  which  will  give  us  men  pos- 
sessed of  lively  imaginations,  clarity  of  thought,  grace 
in  expression  and  souls  imbued  with  deepest  sympathy 
for  the  human  race  in  all  its  struggles  upward. 


66  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

IX 

WILLIAM  BERRYMAN  SCOTT 

Member  of  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

Vice-President  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society 

Professor  of  Geology,  Princeton  University 

Mr.  Lecky,  the  historian,  says  somewhere  that  in  an 
ideal  state  of  society  provision  will  be  made  that  every 
child  shall  have  an  opportunity  to  develop  the  best  that 
is  in  him,  and  to  receive  a  training  in  those  lines  where 
he  can  best  serve  his  kind.  Of  course,  it  need  not  be 
mentioned  that  we  are  very  far  from  such  an  ideal  state 
of  development  as  that.  For  most  of  us  and  for  most 
of  our  children,  who  are  not  content  merely  to  be  a 
cog  in  the  industrial  machine,  education  has  to  be  a 
compromise  between  the  training  for  making  a  living 
and  the  training  for  making  that  living  worth  while  af- 
ter it  has  been  made. 

It  is  upon  this  second  point  that  I  wish  to  lay  stress. 
Of  course,  there  is  a  great  deal  to  be  said  and  much  has 
been  said  about  the  purely  vocational  value  of  good 
training  in  Latin  and  Greek,  and  I  may  add  my  own 
testimony  and  experience  to  that.  For  thirty-seven 
years  now,  I  have  been  teaching  geology  here,  and  my 
experience  is  personally  like  that  of  many  other  teach- 
ers of  science  that,  taken  as  a  group,  and  of  course  with 
individual  exceptions,  the  men  who  do  best  are  those  who 
have  had  a  broad,  thorough  training  in  Latin  and 
Greek.  I  found  the  same  true  in  Germany.  I  had  the 
great  privilege  of  being  the  pupil  in  Heidelberg  of 
Carl  Gegenbaur,  and  he  said  to  me  one  day,  "When  a 
new  batch  of  students  enters  my  dissecting  room  it  does 
not  take  me  more  than  half  an  hour  to  tell  the  gymnasia 


ADDRESSES  67 

men  who  studied  the  classics  from  those  who  have  not 
studied  them,  because  of  the  incontestable  superiority  of 
the  former." 

Of  course,  it  is  true  that  such  testimony  is  by  no 
means  conclusive.  There  are  all  sorts  of  complicated 
factors  involved  in  that  question — the  question,  for  in- 
stance, of  a  boy's  social  environment,  so  that  the  best 
boys  are  given  a  classical  training.  We  have  a  large 
body  of  testimony  to  the  effect  that  the  ideal  training 
for  men  who  are  going  to  make  science  their  profession 
is  the  old  fashioned  one  which  is  now  so  generally  called 
into  question.  But  that  is  not  the  point  to  which  I 
would  refer  particularly. 

Has  it  ever  occurred  to  you  that  these  ultra-modern 
ideas  on  education  are  really  a  return  to  barbaric  and 
savage  methods?  The  only  idea  in  training  the  young 
man  in  a  red  Indian  camp  is  to  make  a  good  hunter  and 
good  warrior  out  of  him:  that  is  vocational  training. 
The  ancient  Persians  had  an  education  for  which  a  great 
deal  may  be  said:  to  ride,  shoot  and  speak  the  truth. 
That  speaking  the  truth  represents  the  ideal  side  of 
their  education.  What  is  your  living  going  to  be  worth 
when  you  make  it?  The  vocational  training  is  one 
which  says  that  the  entire  building  consists  of  the  foun- 
dation. The  real  value  of  an  education  is  to  make  a 
man,  not  merely  to  make  a  useful  engineer  or  school 
teacher  or  what  not  but  to  develop  the  best  that  is  in  him 
and  to  make  his  life  worth  while  to  himself  and  all  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  Now  it  is  that  aspect  of 
the  case  which  I  think  deserves  the  fullest  consideration 
and  emphasis,  more  particularly  now  because  of  this 
terrible  catastrophe  of  war  upon  us  and  upon  the  whole 
civilized  world. 


68  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

With  the  terrible  slaughter  that  has  gone  on,  we  find 
a  great  depletion  in  the  ranks  of  schools,  and  when  this 
war  is  over  and  the  great  reconstruction  comes  about  or 
is  undertaken,  the  cry  for  efficiency  is  going  to  be  louder 
than  ever — trained  men  to  reconstruct.  That  is  all 
right — very  necessary.  But  is  that  all?  Will  our  task 
be  accomplished  when  the  ruined  houses  and  churches 
have  been  rebuilt;  or  is  it  not  vitally  essential  that  we 
shall  transmit  the  torch  to  our  descendants ;  that  in  this 
awful  hurricane  we  shall  shelter  that  torch  to  prevent 
its  being  blown  out? 

For  all  the  purposes  of  intellectual  enjoyment  every- 
thing depends  upon  background.  What  does  one's 
reading  suggest?  Is  it  merely  the  literal  meaning  of 
the  words,  or  are  pictures  called  up  by  allusion  and 
metaphor,  rich  in  significance  and  beauty?  That  is  the 
difference  between  a  cultivated  and  an  uncultivated 
man.  However  good  an  engineer  or  lawyer  he  may  be, 
it  is  that  background  which  more  than  anything  else 
enriches  the  mental  life  and  adds  to  the  joy  of  living— 
and  that  alone  can  be  obtained  from  the  study  of  the 
classics. 

Barrie  says  somewhere  that  the  only  man  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  (he  said  it  in  the  nineteenth  century)  who 
had  anything  to  say  was  the  scientific  man ;  and  he  was 
the  only  man  who  did  not  know  how  to  say  it.  For  a  very 
good  reason,  for  too  exclusively  has  our  scientific  man 
been  trained  in  scientific  work  from  the  beginning. 
The  result  is  that  when  he  starts  to  write  English  he 
often  writes  a  barbarous  jargon  that  is  almost  unintel- 
ligible. A  great  deal  of  the  scientific  work  which  is 
done  by  the  scientific  bureaus  of  the  Government  is 
made  all  but  useless  to  the  man  who  tries  to  use  it,  be- 


ADDRESSES  69 

cause  the  writer  has  never  been  trained  in  expression — 
does  not  know  how  to  use  his  or  any  other  language. 
The  result  is  confusion  thrice  confounded. 

It  is  said  of  Artemus  Ward  that  he  once  gave  a  lec- 
ture in  London  on  Africa,  and  after  an  hour's  rambling 
talk  about  everything  but  Africa,  he  said  that  Africa  is 
celebrated  for  three  roses,  the  red  rose,  the  white  rose 
and  the  negroes.  That  is  about  the  connection  of  my  re- 
marks with  geology.  Still,  there  is  a  connection.  The 
one  great  lesson  that  geology  has  to  teach,  stated  very 
briefly,  is  the  law  of  continuity.  The  one  lesson  we  at- 
tempt to  impress  upon  our  students  is  that  the  history  of 
the  earth  is  one  of  unbroken  continuity,  in  which  each 
stage  has  developed  out  of  the  preceding.  It  is  preemi- 
nently the  merit  of  the  modern  historians  to  impress 
that  same  lesson  as  to  the  history  of  mankind.  In  all 
the  history  of  mankind  by  far  the  most  significant  is  that 
of  the  ancient  world — the  history  of  those  ancient  civi- 
lizations grouped  around  the  Mediterranean.  Without 
a  comprehensive  and  sympathetic  understanding  of 
those  civilizations  any  conception  of  modern  history  is 
bound  to  be  defective,  because  so  much  of  the  modern 
world  has  been  directly  derived  from  those  Mediterra- 
nean lands  and  is  to  this  day  profoundly  influenced  by 
them. 

These  are  just  a  few  random  remarks  to  express  the 
reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  me.  Nothing  more  disas- 
trous could  happen  in  the  life  of  the  race  than  for  us  to 
go  back  to  the  pre-Renaissance  period  when  Latin  was 
an  ecclesiastical  study  and  Greek  had  been  almost  for- 
gotten. 


70  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

X 

LEWIS  BUCKLEY  STILLWELL 

Member  of  National  Research  Council 

Past  President  of  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers 
Consulting  Engineer,  New  York  City 

[Read  by  Dean   Howard  McClenahan] 

Experience  and  observation  during  thirty  years  prac- 
tice as  an  engineer  have  convinced  me  that  the  study  of 
Latin  is  of  great  practical  value  to  the  young  man  who 
expects  to  be  an  engineer  and  who  possesses  sufficient 
innate  ability  to  become  in  any  sense  a  leader  in  his  pro- 
fession. The  same  is  true  also  of  Greek,  although  prob- 
ably in  less  degree.  And  as  regards  the  effect  upon  the 
well  being  of  the  community,  the  development  of  one 
real  leader  is  worth  more  than  that  of  a  hundred — per- 
haps a  thousand — ordinary  workers. 

Material  efficiency  is  excellent.  We  need  in  America 
a  vast  army  of  trained  artisans,  we  need  competent 
technologists  to  direct  their  efforts,  and  our  technologi- 
cal schools  are  producing  these  in  numbers  which  ap- 
parently are  adequate  to  meet  the  demand;  but,  in  gen- 
eral, these  men  know  only  mechanism  and  chemistry, 
and  their  effectiveness  in  their  profession  and  as  mem- 
bers of  society  is  limited,  unless  either  in  their  early 
training  or  later  through  influences  other  than  those  of 
their  school  days  they  have  established  for  themselves 
other  points  of  intellectual  contact  with  the  world  about 
them.  And  while  many  such  possible  points  of  intel- 
lectual contact  are  available,  there  is  no  other  so  sugges- 
tive, so  refreshing,  so  stimulating  by  very  contrast,  as 
those  which  touch  the  lives  of  men  who  lived  when  the 
world  was  young  and  which  bring  to  us  their  thoughts 
recorded  with  unequalled  clarity  and  charm. 


ADDRESSES  71 

I  have  no  statistics  to  submit,  but  I  believe  it  to  be 
true  that  were  we  to  ascertain  the  facts  regarding  the 
leaders  of  the  engineering  profession  in  the  United 
States  today,  we  should  find  that  a  large  proportion  of 
them  either  have  had  some  instruction  in  the  classics,  or 
by  their  own  efforts  through  other  channels  have  secured 
for  themselves  something  of  that  broad  view  of  life  and 
thought  and  experience  which  is  essential  to  adequate 
perspective,  and  I  am  very  confident  that  at  least 
seventy-five  per  cent  of  these  men,  if  asked  in  what 
way  they  could  wish  their  early  education  had  been  dif- 
ferent, would  indicate  their  preference  for  more  of  cul- 
tural study  rather  than  for  more  of  natural  science. 
The  engineer  who  becomes  a  leader  must  be  competent 
to  deal  not  only  with  matter  and  energy,  but  also  with 
men.  He  must  be  able  to  influence  other  men.  He  may 
have  found  the  perfect  solution  of  his  problem,  but  be- 
fore he  can  create  the  structure  which  he  has  conceived, 
or  release,  direct  and  utilize  any  part  of  the  energy  of 
the  universe,  he  must  convince  others,  and  the  man  who 
knows  only  structures,  mechanism  and  the  laws  of  ther- 
mo-dynamics,  is  seriously  handicapped. 

To  mention  a  specific  reason  why  the  scientist  and 
the  engineer  should  be  well  drilled  by  competent  instruc- 
tors in  at  least  one  inflected  language,  my  observation 
has  led  to  the  conviction  that  the  systematic  and  pains- 
taking translation  of  Latin,  for  example,  is  of  particu- 
lar value  in  impressing  upon  the  mind  the  great  impor- 
tance of  precision  in  the  expression  of  a  thought.  Par- 
ticularly in  science  and  in  engineering  is  it  true  that  the 
best  word  must  be  found.  Mere  approximation  is  not 
only  inadmissible,  but  often  worse  than  useless.  It  is 
not  sufficient  that  an  engineer's  report  be  so  written  that 


72  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

it  can  be  understood ;  it  should  be  so  written  that  it  can- 
not be  misunderstood.  And  unquestionably  it  is  a  fact 
that  inadequate  and  inaccurate  statement  is  one  of  the 
most  common  and  serious  handicaps  of  the  average 
graduate  of  a  technological  school. 

If,  from  the  purely  selfish  standpoint  of  its  effect 
upon  his  own  career,  time  spent  in  studying  the  classics 
is  justified  in  the  case  of  the  student  who  aims  to  be- 
come an  engineer,  by  its  results  in  widening  his  intel- 
lectual horizon,  in  adding  to  his  all-round  efficiency  in 
dealing  with  men,  and  in  teaching  him  accuracy  of  ex- 
pression, it  is  still  further  justified  by  its  indirect  effect 
upon  the  community  as  a  whole.  Few  men  in  this  age — 
certainly  no  engineer — will  hesitate  to  emphasize  the 
great  value  of  studies  in  natural  science  in  training  the 
mind.  Observation,  analysis,  inductive  reasoning  in 
this  field  are  realities  to  the  student.  Here  he  best  learns 
to  observe  closely,  to  ascertain  facts  with  precision,  to 
measure  cause  and  effect,  to  think  quantitatively.  But 
the  world  needs  accuracy  of  observation,  precise  ascer- 
tainment of  facts,  correct  judgment  of  cause  and  effect, 
and  quantitative  thinking,  not  only  in  the  laboratory  of 
science,  but  in  the  forum  where  public  opinion  is  formed 
and  in  the  hall  of  legislation.  The  man  who  is  trained 
in  science  is  rarely  a  citizen  who  is  easily  misled.  His 
ability  to  think  straight,  to  analyze,  to  foresee  results, 
to  provide  means  adequate  to  attain  desired  results, 
should  be  made  as  effective  as  possible  in  the  commun- 
ity. To  attain  his  highest  efficiency  he  must  express 
himself  not  only  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  his  spe- 
cialty, but  in  doing  his  part  to  help  in  the  solution  of 
social,  economic  and  political  problems.  The  broader 
his  outlook,  the  greater  will  be  his  inclination  to  assume 


ADDRESSES  73 

his  proper  share  of  responsibility  in  these  fields  of  ac- 
tivity, and  the  more  effective  his  work. 

XI 

WILLIAM  FRANCIS  MAGIE 

Former  President  of  American  Physical  Society 
Professor  of  Physics  and  Dean  of  the  Faculty,  Princeton  University 

My  remarks  on  the  value  of  the  study  of  the  classical 
languages  will  be  made  from  the  standpoint  of  a  teacher 
as  well  as  of  a  student  of  physics.  I  am  interested  in 
the  question  as  to  what  studies  best  prepare  a  man  for 
successful  work  in  any  one  of  the  physical  sciences — the 
so-called  exact  sciences  of  earlier  days.  Of  course  the 
one  fundamental  and  essential  subject  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  physicist  is  mathematics,  first  because  of  the 
universal  applicability  of  mathematics  in  the  develop- 
ment of  physics  and  secondly  because  of  the  unique 
value  of  mathematics  for  training  in  the  deductive  pro- 
cesses which  form  so  large  a  part  of  any  argument  by 
which  a  physical  law  or  physical  theory  is  established. 
Next  to  mathematics  for  early  training  I  rank  the  clas- 
sical languages.  The  elementary  study  of  physics  or 
chemistry  is  of  no  importance  in  comparison.  It  is  no 
more  necessary  or  advisable  to  give  in  school  an  ele- 
mentary course  in  physics  to  a  boy  who  is  to  become  a 
physicist  in  the  future  than  it  is  to  give  in  school  an 
elementary  course  in  law  to  a  future  lawyer  or  in  anat- 
omy to  a  future  surgeon. 

Besides  the  knowledge  of  mathematics  and  training  in 
its  use  the  physicist  needs  mainly  training  in  the  use  of 
the  inductive  or  scientific  method  of  reasoning.  This 
can  be  obtained  in  no  better  way  than  by  the  use  of  the 


74  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

grammar  and  dictionary  in  the  interpretation  of  the 
meaning  of  some  classical  author.  There  is  in  the  prob- 
lem offered  by  each  sentence  of  a  classical  book  just  the 
admixture  of  known  and  unknown,  just  the  combina- 
tion of  previous  acquisition  with  the  necessity  for  dis- 
criminating choice  among  possibilities  that  is  encoun- 
tered in  a  physical  investigation.  The  student  of  a 
settled  language  is  exercising  all  the  time  the  same 
method  that  he  applies  to  a  scientific  question.  Indeed 
he  is  engaged  in  a  scientific  study.  There  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  restrict  the  term  "science"  to  the  study 
of  external  nature.  The  mode  in  which  men  have  ex- 
pressed their  thoughts  is  just  as  much  a  subject  for 
scientific  inquiry  as  is  the  mode  in  which  light  traverses 
a  prism  or  electricity  distributes  itself  on  a  conductor. 
And  it  is  generally  true  that  to  a  young  student  human 
thoughts  and  emotions  and  language  as  their  vehicle  of 
expression  are  more  interesting  than  the  abstract  and 
wholly  unemotional  laws  of  nature. 

It  may  be  added  that  training  in  the  classical  lan- 
guages leads  the  student  to  the  consideration  of  his  own 
methods  of  thought  and  expression,  and  promotes  ac- 
curacy in  argument  and  precision  of  statement.  If 
this  study  is  carried  so  far  that  the  student's  taste  and 
literary  judgment  are  developed  they  serve  the  scien- 
tific man  still  further.  Without  going  so  far  as  to  say, 
as  Matthew  Arnold  seems  to  say,  that  truth  and  false- 
hood can  be  perceived  by  the  man  of  culture  without 
exact  and  profound  study  of  the  evidence,  it  may  be 
maintained  with  confidence  that  even  in  subjects  in 
which  the  evidence  for  a  proposition  is  as  precise  and 
clear  as  it  usually  is  in  physics  there  is  still  room  and 
large  room  for  the  exercise  of  tact  and  discrimination 


ADDRESSES  75 

both  in  the  balancing  of  rival  arguments  and  in  the 
statement  of  one's  own  views  in  such  a  way  as  to  receive 
consideration  and  win  acceptance. 

XII 

ALBA  B.  JOHNSON 

President  of  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works,  Philadelphia 

Before  proceeding  to  read,  I  think  it  is  only  fair  that 
I  should  state  that  I  am  not  a  graduate  of  any  college, 
but  am  a  graduate  of  the  Central  High  School  of  Phil- 
adelphia. Therefore  whatever  views  I  shall  express 
are  those  which  have  been  based  upon  forty  years  of 
contact  with  young  men,  with  study  of  young  men  who 
have  been  under  my  supervision,  and  a  careful  analysis 
of  the  conditions  of  technical  education  with  reference 
to  success  in  industrial  and  other  forms  of  life.  There- 
fore, you  will  acquit  me  at  the  outset,  if  you  please,  of 
approaching  the  subject  with  any  bias  whatever. 

When  the  Government  of  the  United  States  had  been 
established  in  place  of  that  of  the  British  Crown,  it  was 
perceived  that  the  people  of  any  nation  governed  by  the 
popular  will  must  have  sufficient  education  to  create 
sound  public  opinion  upon  subjects  of  national  impor- 
tance. The  first  test  of  education  is  the  creation  of  an 
intelligent  citizenship,  inspired  by  love  of  country,  by 
obedience  to  its  laws,  by  willingness  to  serve  them  when- 
ever and  however  such  service  may  be  required,  and  by 
abhorrence  of  everything  detrimental  to  the  public  good. 

Since  then,  however,  our  economic  conditions  have 
changed.  The  resources  of  the  country  have  been  de- 
veloped upon  a  vast  scale,  the  field  of  knowledge  has 


76  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

been  extended,  the  processes  of  manufacture  are  com- 
plicated and  scientific,  and  transportation  has  become  a 
profession  of  the  first  importance.  Work  formerly 
done  by  hand  is  now  performed  by  powerful  and  com- 
plex machinery,  requiring  high  standards  of  intelligence 
for  its  design  and  operation.  It  has  become  necessary, 
therefore,  for  the  state  to  provide  its  youth  with  the 
highest  degree  of  education  to  meet  these  new  condi- 
tions and  to  compete  with  the  educational  standards  of 
other  countries.  It  is  nationally  important  for  the 
schools  to  train  for  specific  occupations,  by  teaching 
manual  trades  to  those  who  would  be  artisans;  the  arts 
and  principles  of  design  to  those  who  would  be  artists, 
chemists,  electricians*  etc.,  and  stenography,  bookkeep- 
ing, languages,  banking,  etc.  to  those  who  would  engage 
in  commerce.  The  commercial  necessities  of  our  coun- 
try at  home  and  abroad  require  that  our  young  people 
must  be  educated  to  conduct  the  highly  organized  and 
complicated  business  of  the  country  as  well  or  better 
than  our  competitors  from  England,  France  and  Ger- 
many. The  future  prosperity  of  our  country  must  de- 
pend largely  upon  the  development  of  our  foreign  trade. 
Preparation  therefor  belongs  to  our  schools.  Are  they 
ready  for  the  great  international  test  to  which  they  must 
inevitably  be  subjected? 

For  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  our  peo- 
ple have  been  engaged  in  clearing  the  forests,  develop- 
ing the  mines,  building  railroads,  bridges  and  highways, 
constructing  factories,  mills  and  industrial  establish- 
ments, and  in  cultivating  the  hills  of  the  East  and  the 
prairies  of  the  West.  The  "sons  of  Martha"  have 
achieved  great  tasks,  and  the  "sons  of  Mary"  have  been 


ADDRESSES  77 

diffident  and  overshadowed.  We  have  had  little  time  to 
give  recognition  or  encouragement  to  the  latter. 

More  than  anything  else  the  world  needs  those  able 
to  think,  and  by  reason  of  independent  thinking  able  to 
assume  leadership.  Business  and  financial  leaders  may 
be  evolved  from  the  discipline  which  is  essential  to  suc- 
cess in  business  and  finance.  Political  leadership  may 
be  evolved  from  the  game  of  politics.  The  leadership 
of  mind  and  spirit  is  nurtured  in  the  discipline  which  is 
found  in  liberal  studies,  in  knowledge  of  the  facts  of 
history,  in  communion  with  the  great  minds  of  the  past, 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  powers  of  concentration  and 
reasoning  which  experience  has  shown  is  best  derived 
from  the  study  of  the  classics,  by  the  toil  of  mathematics 
and  the  mastery  of  philosophy.  The  highest  powers  of 
expression  are  derived  from  the  study  of  the  English 
language  and  from  careful  analysis  of  the  languages 
upon  which  our  English  tongue  is  based.  While  fully 
realizing  the  advantages  of  vocational  study,  neverthe- 
less it  has  been  the  English  system  of  liberal  studies 
which  has  produced  poets  like  Shakespeare,  Milton  and 
Tennyson;  writers  like  Addison,  Swift  and  Johnson; 
scientists  like  Newton  and  Kelvin,  and  statesmen  like 
Palmerston,  Gladstone  and  Cromer.  A  system  which 
has  produced  such  men,  and  numberless  others,  cannot 
be  totally  condemned.  More  and  more  is  the  mental 
discipline  which  can  be  derived  only  from  liberal  studies 
coming  to  be  required  as  the  foundation  for  the  special- 
ized courses  necessary  for  admission  to  law  and  medi- 
cine, while  these  studies  have  been  the  gate  of  admission 
to  the  ministry  and  literature. 

There  is  one  fact  to  which  I  would  call  attention  be- 
fore closing.  Education  alone,  neither  technical  nor 


78  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

liberal,  will  elevate  the  moral  standards  of  mankind. 
Moral  elevation  is  an  attribute  of  the  soul,  and  is  de- 
rived from  religious  teaching  and  moral  discipline.  It 
is  a  notable  fact  that  the  nation  which  boasted  most  of 
its  intellectual  development,  its  advancement  in  the  arts 
and  sciences,  in  its  Kultur,  when  put  to  the  test  of  war, 
has  discarded  every  advance  guaranteed  by  interna- 
tional law,  including  its  own  solemn  covenants,  and  has 
debased  itself  below  the  standard  of  savagery. 

Every  man  of  character  impresses  his  qualities  upon 
those  about  him.  Learning,  rectitude,  nobility,  and 
every  other  attribute  of  his  character  permeate  those 
brought  into  contact  with  him.  The  man  at  the  head 
of  every  organized  group,  whether  it  be  the  nation  or 
a  business  organization,  a  college  or  a  school,  to  a  great 
degree  impresses  his  character  upon  every  individual 
comprised  in  it.  The  influence  of  the  individual  teacher 
upon  the  plastic  minds  of  his  pupils  is  incalculable.  As 
character  is  the  highest  product  of  education,  its  recre- 
ation in  others  must  ever  be  the  primary  test  of  educa- 
tion. 

What  then  are  the  real  tests  of  education?  They  are 
discipline  of  the  mind  and  spirit;  the  ability  to  create 
character  of  that  exalted  kind  which  unconsciously  dis- 
seminates refinement  and  nobility;  the  development  of 
powers  of  independent  thought,  which  qualify  for  lead- 
ership and  the  evolution  of  that  refinement  of  spirit 
which  comes  from  communion  with  the  highest  things 
of  earth  and  heaven. 

In  saying  this,  I  point  out  the  fact  that  the  time  has 
gone  by  when  anyone  can  hold  up  the  principle  that 
the  duty  of  the  state  terminates  when  its  people  have 
acquired  a  mere  common  school  education. 


ADDRESSES  79 

XIII 

FAIRFAX  HARBISON 

Chairman  Committee  on  National  Defence  of  American  Railway  Association 
President  of  the  Southern  Railway,  Washington 

[Telegram] 

Hearty  congratulations  on  the  Classical  Conference. 
Sincerely  regret  duties  of  public  nature  prevent  my  at- 
tendance, as  I  am  deeply  interested.  Hope  insistence 
will  be  made  on  necessity  of  education  for  leadership  in 
a  democracy  for  which  classical  studies  always  have 
been  and  always  will  be  the  foundation. 

XIV 
HENRY  W.  FARNAM. 

President   of   the   American   Economic   Association,    1912 
Professor  of  Political  Economy,  Yale  University 

[Read  by  Professor  F.  A.  Fetter] 

In  the  short  space  allotted  to  this  paper,  it  is  quite  im- 
possible to  discuss  fundamental  principles  of  education, 
and  the  most  that  can  be  done  is  to  offer  such  testimony 
as  the  concrete  experience  of  the  individual  may  be 
able  to  furnish.  In  his  argument  against  compulsory 
Latin  President  Eliot  enumerates  three  human  inter- 
ests which  are  of  the  highest  importance,  and  no  one  of 
which  requires  a  knowledge  of  Latin.  These  three  in- 
terests are  "concerned  with  religion,  government,  and 
the  means  of  supporting  and  improving  a  family" 
("The  Case  Against  Compulsory  Latin,"  Atlantic 
Monthly,  March,  1917,  p.  357).  It  may  at  once  be 
conceded  that  many  millions  of  men  have  practiced  re- 
ligion, have  maintained  government  and  have  supported 


80  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

their  families  without  a  knowledge  of  Latin.  But 
while  these  three  interests  are  fundamental,  there  are 
many  others  which  are  eminently  desirable  for  an  edu- 
cated man.  One  of  these  is  the  art  of  expression,  and 
my  argument  for  Latin  will  be  confined  to  this  one 
desideratum. 

The  great  distinction  between  the  parent  tongues  of 
western  Europe  and  their  modern  descendants  is  that 
they  were  more  fully  inflected,  the  different  cases  of 
nouns,  adjectives  and  pronouns,  as  well  as  the  different 
moods  and  tenses  of  verbs  being  indicated  by  changes 
in  the  prefixes  or  suffixes  of  the  root  word.  Modern 
languages  have,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  lost  these 
inflections.  German  has,  perhaps,  suffered  less  than 
most  of  them;  English,  more.  The  result,  particularly 
in  English,  is  a  loss  of  conciseness  and  of  exactitude. 
Shades  of  meaning  are  indicated  by  circumlocution. 
The  root  word  itself  indicates  nothing  with  regard  to 
its  case,  if  a  noun,  or  with  regard  to  its  mood  and  tense, 
if  a  verb.  In  fact,  the  same  word  may  often  be  either 
a  noun  or  a  verb. 

In  addition  to  this  confusion  arising  from  the  loss  of 
inflections,  a  new  confusion  has  crept  in  through  the 
adoption  of  an  immense  new  vocabulary,  the  origin  of 
which,  though  very  recent,  is  often  obscure.  If  no  new 
word  gained  admission  to  the  dictionary  until  passed 
upon  by  a  committee  of  experts,  we  should  probably 
enrich  our  popular  language,  as  the  scientists  have  en- 
riched the  scientific  language,  by  compounding  words 
out  of  Greek  or  Latin  fragments.  But  such  cases  are 
rare,  and  most  of  our  new  words  are  foundlings,  drop- 
ped on  the  doorstep,  with  no  pedigree  and  hardly  an 
identification  tag.  The  consequence  is  an  almost  gro- 


ADDRESSES  81 

tesque  ambiguity.  Thus,  a  sleeper  may  mean  a  person 
who  sleeps,  or  the  vehicle  in  which  he  sleeps,  or  the 
stick  of  wood  which  supports  the  rail  on  which  the 
sleeper  which  carries  the  sleeper  rolls.  A  smoker  may 
mean  a  man  who  smokes,  or  a  car  in  which  he  smokes. 
A  typewriter  may  be  a  soulless  machine  or  a  soulful 
young  woman.  The  advertisement  which  appeared  in 
an  English  paper,  "Wanted — A  capable  girl  to  mind 
three  children,"  told,  perhaps,  more  of  the  truth  than 
the  advertiser  was  conscious  of.  The  headlines  of  our 
newspapers  furnish  daily  reminders  of  the  confusion 
which  results  when  one  and  the  same  word  may  be 
either  a  noun  or  a  verb  and  may  be  used  either  in  the 
transitive  or  intransitive  sense. 

In  an  age  which  cultivates  efficiency,  and  in  a  science 
which  studies  economy,  this  ambiguity  means  wasted 
effort,  and  the  best  corrective  is  the  study  of  languages 
which  have  not  yet  lost  their  grammar.  Incidentally, 
it  is  of  some  value  to  be  saved  from  wrong  uses  of  Latin 
phrases  and  words  which  have  become  domiciled  in  the 
English  language,  and  I  regret  that  such  barbarisms  as 
"this  data"  have  become  so  common  among  statisticians 
and  economists  that  even  those  whose  teeth  were,  a  few 
years  ago,  set  on  edge  by  them,  are  now  becoming  cal- 
lous. It  may  be  a  mere  accident,  but  I  certainly  have  a 
distinct  impression  that  of  the  many  manuscripts  on 
economic  subjects  which  I  have  had  occasion  to  read  and 
edit  of  late  years,  those  written  by  graduates  of  col- 
leges which  have  abandoned  the  classics  are  most  sorely 
in  need  of  revision. 

In  making  a  plea  for  the  classics,  and  especially  for 
Latin  as  a  standard  of  exact  expression,  I  refer  only  to 
the  language  when  it  is  really  taught  and  not  when  it 


82  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

is  muddled.  It  would  seem  superfluous  to  emphasize 
this  fact,  were  it  not  that  arguments  have  of  late  been 
set  forth  with  great  ability  and  no  little  authority  which 
seem  to  be  based  upon  this  confusion.  Dr.  Flexner, 
for  example,  cites  as  an  argument  against  Latin  the 
fact  that  in  the  examinations  held  by  the  College  En- 
trance Board  in  1915,  76.6  per  cent  of  the  candidates 
failed  to  make  even  a  mark  of  60  in  Cicero  ("A  Modern 
School,"  Occasional  Papers  No.  3,  Publications  of  the 
General  Education  Board,  p.  6).  If  the  statistics  are 
correct,  this  argument  may  prove  that  Latin  is  not  well 
taught  in  our  schools,  but  does  not  prove  that  Latin, 
when  well  taught,  is  without  value.  It  is  an  argument 
not  against  the  usefulness  of  Latin  when  acquired,  but 
against  the  uselessness  of  failing  to  acquire  it.  The 
remedy  is  to  give  better  instruction  in  Latin,  not  to 
condemn  it. 

Latin  should  be  taught  in  the  very  first  years  in  such 
a  way  that  the  pupil  becomes  thoroughly  familiar  with 
the  current  vocabulary  and  the  inflections. 

My  own  experience  dates  back  so  many  years  that  it 
no  longer  applies  in  full  measure  to  modern  conditions, 
and  yet  I  believe  that  it  may  serve  as  a  useful  illustra- 
tion. I  began  my  study  of  the  classics  in  Germany,  and 
I  always  had  the  feeling  that  the  years  which  were  de- 
voted to  these  subjects  in  an  American  college  added 
little  to  the  knowledge  which  I  brought  with  me  from 
across  the  ocean.  I  never  felt  that  I  gained  any  real 
familiarity  with  Greek,  and  I  never  appreciated  Latin 
until,  after  taking  my  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  the 
United  States,  I  had  occasion  to  study  Roman  Law  in 
Germany,  and  to  use  Latin  as  a  vehicle  of  thought.  I 
then  appreciated,  as  never  before,  the  wonderful  di- 


ADDRESSES  83 

rectness  and  clearness  of  the  language.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  when  I  returned  to  our  country  and 
found  that  the  entrance  to  an  academic  career  lay 
through  a  tutorship  and  that  a  tutor  was  expected  to 
teach,  not  a  subject  on  which  he  might  have  specialized 
in  his  graduate  work,  but  only  Greek,  Latin  or  mathe- 
matics, I  elected  Latin  as  the  subject  in  which  my  in- 
competence was  least  pronounced.  But,  having  had 
occasion  to  use  and  value  the  language  in  my  study  of 
the  Roman  Law,  I  was  able  to  take  it  up  with  an  enthus- 
iasm which  I  hope  concealed  from  my  students  my  dis- 
qualification for  the  task. 

XV 
THOMAS  HASTINGS 

Architect 
Carrere  and  Hastings,  New  York  City 

The  study  of  the  classics  has  a  tendency,  more  espe- 
cially with  the  youth  of  a  people,  to  instill  into  their 
thoughts  a  courage  and  keenness  in  the  quest  of  truth, 
with  a  devotion  to  all  that  is  beautiful.  Eighteen  years 
ago,  in  a  Government  report  under  the  chairmanship 
of  the  distinguished  Prime  Minister  of  France,  Mon- 
sieur Ribot,  there  was  included  this  striking  tribute  to 
the  advantages  of  a  classic  education: 

"L'etude  de  1'antiquite  greque  et  latine  a  donne  au 
genie  fran9aise  une  mesure,  une  clarte  et  un  elegance 
incomparable.  C'est  par  elle  que  notre  philosophic,  nos 
lettres  et  nos  arts  ont  brille  d'un  si  vif  eclat;  c'est  par 
elle  que  notre  influence  morale  s'est  exercee  en  souver- 
aine  dans  le  monde.  L'esprit  classique  est  la  culte  de  la 
raison  claire  et  libre,  la  recherche  de  la  beaute  harmoni- 


84  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

euse  et  simple  dans  toutes  les  manifestations  de  la 
pensee." 

Speaking  as  an  architect,  I  have  a  far  greater  sym- 
pathy, both  in  art  and  literature,  with  the  Renaissance 
which  aimed  to  revive  the  Augustan  Age  of  Rome,  than 
with  the  more  recent  so-called  Humanistic  School  which 
sought  to  build  its  foundation  on  the  Golden  Age  of 
Athens.  The  greatest  art  of  the  last  four  hundred  years 
has  been  founded  upon  Roman  principles,  and  the  re- 
cent examples  of  the  so-called  Neo  Grec  have  today  but 
few  adherents.  Architecturally  we  are  still  living  in  the 
period  of  the  Renaissance,  building  upon  classic  tradi- 
tions, and  if  we  can  establish  this  fact  we  may  find  a 
certain  striking  analogy  in  its  relation  to  the  more  con- 
servative tendency  in  liberal  education. 

From  prehistoric  times  until  now  each  successive  age 
has  built  in  one,  and  only  one,  style  of  architecture.-  To- 
day we  select  from  the  past — building  in  every  variety 
of  style.  Why  should  we  not  be  modern,  expressing  the 
spirit  of  the  time  in  a  style  of  its  own  making? 

Style  in  its  growth  has  always  been  governed  by  the 
universal  law  of  development,  one  style  being  evolved 
from  another.  This  evolution  has  always  kept  pace  with 
the  progress  of  the  political,  religious  and  economic 
spirit  of  each  successive  age.  It  has  manifested  itself 
unconsciously  in  the  architect's  designs,  under  the  im- 
peratives of  new  practical  problems  imposed  upon  him. 

As  in  nature  the  types  and  species  of  life  have  kept 
pace  with  the  successive  modifications  of  lands  and  seas 
and  other  physical  conditions  imposed  upon  them,  so 
has  architectural  style  in  its  growth  kept  pace  with  the 
successive  modifications  of  civilization.  The  laws  of  the 
survival  of  the  fittest  have  shaped  the  history  of  archi- 


ADDRESSES  85 

tectural  style  just  as  truly  as  they  have  the  different 
successive  forms  of  life.  Hence,  the  necessity  that  we 
keep  and  cultivate  the  spirit  and  traditions  of  our  near 
forefathers,  and  that  we  respect  our  historic  relations. 

Were  it  necessary  we  could  go  back  to  the  time  of  the 
mound  builders  and  cave  dwellers,  and  all  through  the 
history  of  architecture  trace  two  parallel  lines,  one  the 
history  of  civilization,  and  the  other  form  and  design 
constantly  changing  to  meet  modified  conditions.  One 
need  only  mention  the  Greek  column  so  beautifully 
modified  by  the  Romans  to  meet  the  new  and  more 
varied  methods  of  construction.  We  could  multiply 
illustrations  without  limit.  The  battlements  and  ma- 
chicolated  cornices  of  the  Romanesque;  the  thick  walls 
and  the  small  windows  placed  high  above  the  floor,  tell 
us  of  an  age  when  every  man's  house  was  indeed  his 
castle,  his  fortress,  and  his  stronghold. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  how,  in  other  times,  an 
architect  was  even  able  to  complete  a  tower  or  add  an 
arcade  or  extend  a  building  following  the  general  lines 
of  the  original  composition  without  following  its  style, 
so  that  almost  every  historic  building  within  its  own 
walls  tells  the  story  of  its  long  life.  How  much  more 
interesting  alike  to  the  historian  and  the  artist  are  these 
results.  Until  now  an  artist  has  always  respected  the 
traditions  of  the  generation  which  preceded  him,  and, 
as  it  were,  he  was  apprenticed  by  its  influence.  Who- 
ever builds  in  a  style  not  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of 
his  time  is  responsible  for  retarding  the  normal  progress 
of  the  art.  We  must  have  a  language  if  we  would  talk. 
If  there  be  no  common  language  there  can  be  no  com- 
munication of  ideas  either  architectural  or  literary.  We 
must  hope  to  find  the  classic  again  everywhere  assert- 


86  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

ing  itself,  in  order  to  renew  that  consistency  of  style 
which  has  existed  in  all  times  until  the  present  gener- 
ation; then  only,  as  of  old,  shall  we  find  modernity  in 
every  performance  of  man's  ingenuity;  in  the  work  of 
the  artist  or  the  artisan,  from  the  smallest  and  most  in- 
significant jewel  or  book  cover  to  the  noblest  monu- 
ment of  human  invention  or  creation;  from  the  most 
ordinary  kitchen  utensil  to  the  richest  and  most  costly 
furniture  or  decoration  that  adorns  our  dwelling. 

The  architects  in  the  early  history  of  America  were 
distinctly  modern  and  closely  related  in  their  work  to 
their  contemporaries  in  Europe.  Building  upon  classic 
forms  they  seem  not  only  to  have  inherited  traditions, 
but  to  have  religiously  adhered  to  them.  I  believe  that 
it  is  because  of  this  that  the  genuine  and  naive  character 
of  their  work,  which  was  of  its  own  period,  still  lives 
and  has  a  real  charm,  though  ofttimes  wanting  in  tech- 
nical skill. 

We  have  seen  that  the  life  of  an  epoch  must  make  its 
impress  upon  its  art  and  its  literature.  It  is  equally 
true  that  the  art  of  a  people  helps  to  form  and  model 
its  character.  In  this  way  it  reacts  upon  it.  If  there  is 
beauty  in  the  plans  of  our  cities,  and  in  the  buildings 
which  form  our  public  squares  and  highways,  its  good 
influence  will  make  itself  felt  upon  every  passer-by. 
Beauty  in  our  buildings  is  an  open  book  of  involuntary 
education  and  refinement,  and  it  uplifts  and  ennobles 
human  character;  it  is  a  song  aiyl  a  sermon  without 
words.  It  inculcates  in  a  people  a  true  sense  of  dignity, 
a  sense  of  reverence  and  respect  for  tradition,  and  it 
makes  an  atmosphere  in  its  environment  which  breeds 
the  proper  kind  of  contentment,  that  kind  of  content- 
ment which  stimulates  ambition.  No  form  of  religious 


ADDRESSES  87 

or  moral  precept,  nor  indeed  any  spoken  word  of  man, 
would  obtain  which  had  not  been  expressed  with  a  true 
sense  of  beauty. 

To  eliminate  the  classics  from  your  university  curric- 
ulum would  be  as  great  a  calamity  as  to  teach  architec- 
ture suppressing  the  study  of  the  entablature  and  the 
column.  To  know  Greek  and  Latin  is,  I  believe,  as 
much  an  essential  part  of  a  literary  education  as  a  true 
understanding  of  the  classic  orders  is  the  beginning  of 
all  architectural  schooling.  These  are  the  foundations 
upon  which  the  artists  in  literature  and  architecture 
alike  build  their  superstructure.  These  fundamental 
first  principles  in  education  cultivate  and  stimulate  the 
true  sense  of  beauty  and  refinement  while  they  impress 
upon  the  mind  of  the  student  an  accurate  appreciation 
of  those  most  subtle  laws  of  proportion  which  though 
intuitively  learned  are  none  the  less  true  and  to  be  re- 
lied upon  as  a  part  of  our  education. 

It  is,  I  believe,  a  law  of  the  universe  that  the  forms 
of  life  which  are  fittest  to  survive  are  beautiful  in  form 
and  color.  Natural  selection  is  beautifully  expressed, 
ugliness  and  deformity  are  synonymous,  and  so  in  the 
economy  of  life  what  would  survive  must  be  of  its  own 
period  and  beautifully  expressed. 

A  great  tide  of  historic  information  has  constantly 
flowed  through  the  channel  of  monuments  erected  by 
successive  civilizations,  each  age  expressing  its  own  life, 
and  we  can  almost  live  in  the  past  through  its  monu- 
ments. The  recently  discovered  buried  cities  of  Assyria 
and  Lydia  give  us  a  vivid  idea  of  a  civilization  lost  to 
history.  The  pyramids  of  Cheops  and  the  Temples  of 
Karnak  and  Luxor  tell  us  more  of  that  ingenuity  which 
we  cannot  fathom,  and  the  grandeur  of  the  life  and 


88  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

history  of  the  Egyptian  people  than  the  scattered  and 
withered  documents  or  fragments  of  inscriptions  that 
have  chanced  to  survive  the  crumbling  influences  of 
time.  The  Parthenon  and  the  Erectheum  bespeak  the 
intellectual  refinement  of  the  Greeks  as  much  as  their 
epic  poems  or  their  philosophy.  The  triumphal  arches, 
the  aqueducts,  the  Pantheon,  and  the  basilicas  of  Rome 
tell  us  more  of  the  great  constructive  genius  of  the  early 
republic  and  the  empire  of  the  Caesars  than  the  frag- 
mentary and  contradictory  annals  of  wars  and  politi- 
cal intrigues. 

The  unsurpassed  and  inspiring  beauty  of  the  Gothic 
cathedrals  which  bewilder  us,  and  the  cloisters  which 
enchant  us,  impress  on  our  minds  a  living  picture  of  the 
aspirations  of  mediaeval  times — a  civilization  that  must 
have  mingled  with  its  mysticism  an  intellectual  and 
spiritual  grandeur  which  the  so-called  Dark  Ages  of  the 
historian  have  failed  adequately  to  record ;  and  in  Amer- 
ica, even  amid  the  all  absorbing  work  of  constructing  a 
new  government,  our  people  found  time  to  speak  to  us 
today  in  the  silent  language  of  their  simple  colonial 
architecture  of  the  temperament  and  character  of  our 
forefathers. 

Will  our  monuments  of  to-day  adequately  record  the 
splendid  achievements  of  our  contemporaneous  life — 
the  spirit  of  modern  justice  and  liberty — the  progress 
of  modern  science,  the  genius  of  modern  invention  and 
discovery,  the  elevated  character  of  our  institutions? 
Will  disorder  and  confusion  in  our  modern  architecture 
express  the  intelligence  of  this  twentieth  century? 
Would  that  we  might  learn  a  lesson  from  the  past,  in 
art  and  letters  alike,  from  the  stately  Latin  and  grace- 
ful Greek  languages,  with  their  lesson  of  order,  proper- 


ADDRESSES  89 

tion  and  harmony,  and  from  the  glorious  antique  lit- 
erature, so  that  modern  architecture,  wherever  under- 
taken, might  more  worthily  tell  the  story  of  the  dignity 
of  this  great  epoch  and  be  more  expressive  of  this  con- 
temporaneous life. 


XVI 

EDWABD  P.  MITCHELL 

Editor  of  The  Sun,  New  York  City 

Some  time  ago  a  railroad  president  sent  me  as  a  curi- 
osity this  beautiful  letter  from  a  young  man  applying 
for  the  job  of  stenographer: 

"Experienced  in  charting  statistics,  possessed  of  the 
taciturnity  and  discretion  necessary  to  association  with 
executives,  broadly  read  on  matters  germane  to  rail- 
road operation,  a  student  of  unity  and  clearness  in  com- 
position, with  an  acquisition  of  that  uncommon  knowl- 
edge of  English — including  the  study  of  word  differen- 
tiation— essential  to  the  highest  grade  of  stenographic 
work — an  omnivorous  though  active  reader  with  a  vo- 
cabulary large  enough  to  meet  the  requirements  of  both 
your  vocative  and  avocative  correspondence,  I  shall  be 
glad  to  give  to  any  designated  subordinate  an  oral  expa- 
tiation  of  my  fitness  and  experience." 

Apparently,  indeed,  the  candidate's  vocabulary  was 
so  large  that  he  would  have  been  obliged  to  have  it 
checked  when  travelling  over  the  railroad  president's 
railroad.  I  am  not  displaying  this  genuine  letter,  how- 
ever, in  order  to  invite  smiles  at  its  excessive  Latinity 
and  elaborate  rotundity  of  phrase;  but  merely  to  de- 
clare, from  the  point  of  view  of  one  quite  dispassionate 


90  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

observer  for  forty-odd  years  of  the  indications  afforded 
by  style,  that  if  the  railroad  man  had  asked  an  opinion 
I  should  have  advised  him  to  give  the  young  man  a 
trial.  More  than  that,  I  should  have  urged  him  to  thank 
both  the  god  of  Transportation  and  the  god  of  Vocative 
and  Avocative  Literature  that  his  choice  of  a  secretary 
was  not  confined  to  persons  introducing  themselves  in 
fashion  like  this : 

"Take  it  from  me,  I'm  the  guy  that's  wise  to  what 
you  want.  This  is  straight  goods.  There  ain't  a  leak  in 
the  lid  of  my  nut.  The  lingo's  all  there.  I'm  fifty-fifty 
William  W.  Shakespeare  and  Old  Dictionary  Johnson. 
Try  it  on  with  your  fly  word  twirlers  and  if  any  hot  one 
gets  by  the  plate  then  Me  for  the  bench." 

At  a  guess  I  should  say  that  more  than  half  of  the 
really  distinguished  writers  I  have  watched  during  the 
period  of  observation  could  have  passed  Horace  Gree- 
ley's  profane  test  of  fitness  for  newspaper  work;  that 
is,  they  were  without  Latin  and  Greek  at  first  hand. 
But  further  I  should  say  that  in  the  great  majority  of 
these  cases  the  classical  influence  upon  habits  and  meth- 
ods of  expression,  acting  secondarily  through  the  slower 
process  of  self  development,  through  natural  selection, 
through  conscious  or  unconscious  imitation  of  admired 
models,  was  not  less  potent  and  perhaps  superficially  a 
trifle  more  apparent  than  when  it  had  been  exerted  di- 
rectly through  the  schools.  In  this  as  in  every  other 
such  field  it  is  a  mistake  to  reckon  the  plus  or  the  minus 
as  affecting  only  individuals  certified  with  diplomas. 
The  preservation  of  the  standards,  not  the  census  of  the 
classically  educated,  is  what  signifies. 

To  the  multitude  of  good  reasons  accumulating  here 
today  I  suggest  the  addition  of  this : 


ADDRESSES  91 

The  most  serious  practical  evil  to  result  from  the 
elimination  of  the  classics  will  fall  upon  the  English 
language  itself.  There  is  no  livelier  perception  than  in 
the  newspaper  offices  of  the  disintegration  produced  by 
the  absurd  circumstance  that  only  so  many  millimeters 
of  big  type  can  be  made  to  go  into  so  many  millimeters 
width  of  column.  Is  it  not  ridiculous  that  under  the 
pressure  of  the  popular  demand  for  spectacular  typog- 
raphy the  choice  of  words  for  headlines — and  today 
these  are  not  only  the  most  conspicuous  thing  in  any 
newspaper  but  more  influential  than  a  hundred  chairs  of 
rhetoric  in  shaping  the  future  conventions  of  English 
speech — is  coming  to  be  determined  by  size  and  not  by 
signification? 

Put  not  too  much  blame  on  the  headliner.  To  under- 
stand his  craftsmanship,  try  to  construct  a  few  head- 
lines in  millimeter  English.  Try  to  build  a  phrase 
limited  by  linear  measurement  out  of  words  quarried, 
for  instance,  from  the  Latinist  letter  which  was  read 
just  now.  Try  it  then  from  the  blend  of  short  Anglo- 
Saxon  and  street  slang  which  I  took  the  liberty  to 
imagine.  You  will  see  why  the  fraudulent  misuse  of 
many  a  lean,  convenient  verb,  noun  or  adjective  is  be- 
ing impressed  daily  upon  the  gray  matter  of  the  com- 
ing generation.  You  will  see  why  the  straight  jacket 
of  physical  space  is  distorting  not  only  philology  but 
syntax,  and  forging  a  syncopated  system  of  word  rela- 
tions as  crude  and  false  as  that  of  the  Chinook  jargon. 
And  I  think  you  will  understand  why  a  newspaper  man, 
bred  to  the  honest  old  standards,  like  my  friend  Dr. 
Miller  of  the  Times,  is  impelled  to  come  to  Princeton 
to  do  his  bit  in  upholding  the  movement  which  keeps 


92  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

open  the  sole  reasonable  hope  of  checking  this  degringo- 
lade  of  accuracy  and  dignity  in  English  expression. 

In  its  worst  aspects  headline  English  is  the  yellow 
peril  of  the  language.  If  unchecked,  the  havoc  of  an- 
archy is  irreparable  that  it  can  wreak  upon  that  marvel- 
lous composite,  that  adequate  instrument  of  any  sort  of 
thought,  that  heritage  from  two  hundred  generations 
of  our  thinking  ancestors,  that  palimpsest  not  only  of 
Latin  and  Greek  culture  but  also  of  the  earlier  cultures 
handed  down  to  us  through  the  Greco-Roman  medium 
from  away  back  as  far  as  Nippur. 

Not  merely,  then,  because  of  the  disciplinary  loss,  nor 
yet  mainly  on  account  of  the  informative  loss  involved 
in  the  discard  of  the  classics,  but  principally  because 
the  instant  there  disappears  from  the  education  of  the 
educated  the  means  of  knowing,  for  example,  that 
a  telephone  is  a  telephone  for  the  reason  that  through 
it  we  speak  afar,  and  not  for  the  reason  that  some  ad- 
vertiser deemed  this  a  taking  name  for  the  particular 
utensil,  to  that  extent  the  racial  memory  begins  to  de- 
cay, the  racial  imagination  begotten  of  memory  is  weak- 
ened, the  sense  of  precise  meanings  begins  to  lose  its 
edge,  and  the  English  language  ceases  to  be  a  vital  thing 
and  becomes  a  mere  code  of  arbitrary  signals  wigwagged 
from  mouth  to  ear. 

Were  I  the  emergency  autocrat  of  this  language  I 
should  proclaim  in  drastic  regulations  and  enforce  by 
severe  penalties  the  American  duty  of  adherence  to  the 
old  habits  of  speech,  the  old  scrupulous  respect  for  the 
finer  shades  of  meaning,  the  old  rigid  observance  of  the 
morality  of  word  relations;  and  this,  I  believe,  can  be 
done  only  by  maintaining  the  classical  culture  at  high 
potency.  For  the  "guy"  or  "gink"  who  is  "wise  to  what 


ADDRESSES  93 

we  want,"  in  his  dismal  attempt  to  put  "punch"  into  the 
vernacular  is  punching  the  intelligence  out  of  it ;  and  he 
promises,  unless  deterred,  to  leave  the  precious  fabric 
as  full  of  holes  as  a  colander  and  as  void  of  working 
efficiency  as  a  last  month's  commutation  ticket. 

XVII 
CHARLES  R.  MILLER 

Editor  of  The  New  York  Times,  New  York  City 

A  man  of  my  calling,  comfortably  assiduous  and 
having  length  of  years,  puts  into  print  the  equivalent  of 
100  octavo  volumes  of  350  pages  each.  Who  in  the 
realm  of  pure  literature  writes  so  much?  If  in  Dante's 
thought  Virgil,  with  the  Eclogues,  the  Georgics  and  the 
Aeneid,  was  the  fount  of  a  broad  river  of  speech,  then 
a  veritable  Amazon  of  utterance  flows  forth  from  the 
pen  that,  year  after  year,  contributes  a  daily  column  to 
the  press.  It  is  not  literature;  it  would  miss  the  mark 
if  it  were,  but  its  object  is  best  attained  if  it  have  the 
form  and  quality  of  literature.  To  the  multitude  it  is 
the  abiding  and  most  familiar  example  in  the  use  of 
language  in  other  than  spoken  form.  It  is  quite  unnec- 
essary to  argue  that  a  stream  from  which  so  many  take 
their  fill  should  be  pure  at  the  source.  Standards  may 
be  kept  inviolate  by  the  pen  of  genius  writing  for  the 
cloistered  few;  current  speech  takes  its  form  very  much 
from  the  daily  newspaper. 

It  is  a  responsibility  not  lightly  borne  by  men  of  con- 
scientious habit.  Through  what  discipline  comes  fitness 
to  bear  it  worthily?  We  must  not  with  too  clamorous 
insistence  press  the  case  for  Latin  and  Greek  beyond 
safe  limits.  Too  many  men  write  good  English  who 


94  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

never  read  a  line  of  either  tongue.  Much  reading  of 
English  gives  command  of  an  encompassing  vocabulary, 
good  taste  and  the  instinctive  sense  of  language  may 
confer  the  power  to  employ  it  with  elegance  and  pro- 
priety. However  acquired  there  must  be  an  instructed 
discrimination  in  the  use  of  the  elements  of  the  lan- 
guage, a  sense  always  clear  and  sure  of  the  just  word. 
That  discriminating  sense  comes,  if  it  be  unfailing  can 
come  only,  through  knowledge  of  the  origin,  history 
and  composition  of  words.  It  is  my  observation  and 
judgment  that  the  surest  way,  certainly  the  shortest 
way  to  the  acquisition  of  this  sense  of  values  leads 
through  the  texts  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  authors  and 
the  less  alluring  but  indispensable  pages  of  the  gram- 
marians. That  conviction  rests  upon  a  good  many 
years  of  observation.  I  should  give  it  much  emphasis 
if  I  were  called  upon  to  advise  in  this  matter  young  men 
looking  forward  to  a  newspaper  career. 

This  is  very  familiar  ground  and  I  forbear.  I  mean 
merely  that  a  newspaper  reporter,  correspondent  or 
editorial  writer  who  does  not  know,  citing  only  exam- 
ples that  have  recently  come  under  my  eye,  that  expur- 
gate does  not  mean  expunge,  that  egregious  is  only  by 
custom  and  not  by  etymology  an  epithet  of  reproach, 
and  that  a  decimated  regiment  may  still  be  a  force  to 
be  reckoned  with,  has  much  to  learn  about  the  English 
language.  Lord  Bryce,  in  accounting  for  the  newborn 
interest  in  this  question  displayed  by  "certain  sections 
of  the  population  which  were  not  wont  to  interest  them- 
selves in  educational  matters,"  says  that  "there  has  been 
created  in  the  popular  mind  an  association,  now  deeply 
rooted,  between  the  knowledge  of  applied  science  and 
material  prosperity."  This  is  economic  determinism 


ADDRESSES  95 

applied  to  education.  To  the  dogs  with  the  higher 
things  of  the  spirit;  youth  shall  train  in  branches  that 
will  provide  the  biggest  store  of  bread  and  butter  for 
the  body.  For  any  young  man  who  would  become  a 
newspaper  writer  that  is  a  false,  deluding  doctrine.  It 
is  precisely  the  good  old  fashioned  classical  schooling 
that  gives  him  command  of  the  higher  places,  the  higher 
rewards.  If  he  would  climb  to  the  high  places,  let  him 
build  the  stairway  during  his  college  years. 

I  am  void  of  all  fear  about  contradiction  when  I  say 
that  a  newspaper  man,  and  particularly  an  editorial 
writer,  who  has  missed  making  the  acquaintance  of  the 
gods  and  mortal  speaking  men  from  whom  our  heritage 
of  civilization  has  descended  must  fail  to  do  full  justice 
to  his  talents,  however  great  they  may  be.  In  modern 
times  every  unexplored  river,  every  mountain  un- 
climbed,  has  been  a  challenge  to  the  daring  spirit  of 
man,  until  the  secret  of  all  sources  has  been  laid  bare, 
all  summits  topped,  save  the  very  few  that  nature  re- 
serves for  the  glory  of  heroic  spirits  in  later  generations. 
If  we  strive  so  unconscionably  in  these  sterile  adven- 
tures, shall  we  be  incurious  about  that  Roman  fountain- 
head  of  our  laws,  our  political  institutions  and  a  great 
part  of  our  language,  shall  we  disdain  to  climb  where 
through  the  ages  our  fathers  have  climbed,  to  that  Ath- 
enian summit  whence  the  light  of  civilization  burst  upon 
the  world,  where  the  noblest  in  art,  in  poetry,  in  letters 
had  its  birth?  For  us  there  is  no  other  source,  no  other 
mountain  top.  Beyond  Greece  and  Rome,  save  in  re- 
ligion, we  trace  no  line  of  descent.  The  Oriental  mon- 
archies blazed  up  and  were  extinguished.  They  left  us 
no  heritage.  Our  mother  lands  are  Greece  and  Rome. 
There  men  won  deathless  fame  in  works  that  time  has 


96  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

never  conquered.  Shall  we  let  them  die?  Shall  we 
undo  the  Renaissance,  and  of  the  coeval  printer's  art, 
seemingly  born  to  transmit  for  our  advantage  and  en- 
joyment the  treasures  of  Greece  and  Rome,  make  a 
sumpter  mule  burdened  only  with  commodities  ap- 
praisable  in  cash? 

I  think  I  do  not  wander  from  the  point,  the  practical 
point.  Without  understanding  of  the  ancient  world, 
our  ancient  world,  there  can  be  no  sound  understand- 
ing of  the  modern  world  and  its  affairs.  It  is  highly 
desirable  that  a  newspaper  man  should  try  to  under- 
stand the  world  about  him.  I  know  that  his  effort  will 
be  less  toilsome,  its  reward  richer  and  more  certain,  if 
the  light  kindled  by  classical  knowledge  burns  within 
his  mind.  To  this  mastery  and  understanding  a  profi- 
ciency in  science,  skill  in  the  mysteries  of  the  external 
world,  no  matter  in  what  high  degree  held,  serve  no  pur- 
pose of  guidance.  What  man  is  doing,  singly  or  asso- 
ciatively,  that  is  the  newspaper's  province.  And  for 
one  who  has  to  take  thought  about  the  behavior  of  man, 
and  give  expression  to  it,  no  branch  of  knowledge  is 
alien,  none  superfluous.  Culture,  even  if  for  the  pure 
joy  of  culture,  is  of  high  and  constant  service.  It  fresh- 
ens, stimulates,  uplifts,  vivifies. 

"All  the  world  is  sweeter,  if  the  Athenian  violet  quicken ; 
All  the  world  is  brighter,  if  the  Athenian  sun  return." 


ADDRESSES  97 

XVIII 

HENRY  CABOT  LODGE 

United  States  Senator  from  Massachusetts 

For  more  than  five  hundred  years  scholars  and  men 
of  education  have  been  discussing  the  poetry,  the  drama, 
the  philosophy,  the  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome 
which  we  are  wont  to  include  in  the  word  "classics." 
When  anyone  therefore  attempts  to  give  utterance  to 
his  thoughts  upon  that  vast  subject  the  line  of  Terence, 
"Nullum  est  jam  dictum,  quod  non  dictum  sit  prius," 
stares  him  in  the  face  with  all  the  relentless  warning  of 
Dante's  inscription  over  the  gates  of  Hell.  We  can 
only  console  ourselves  with  the  witty  comment  of  Aelius 
Donatus,  which  comes  to  us  oddly  enough  through 
Saint  Jerome, 

"Pereant  qui  ante  nos  nostra  dixerunt," 

and  go  forward  with  our  repetitions  and  reiterations  of 
what  wiser  and  better  men  have  said  before.  There  is 
only  one  difference  to  be  noted  between  us  and  our 
predecessors  and  that  is  in  the  present  mode  of  treat- 
ment. Until  within  fifty  years,  broadly  speaking,  the 
acceptance  of  the  classics  as  the  foundation  and  essen- 
tial condition  of  the  higher  education  was  unquestioned 
and  the  note  of  all  discussion  was  that  of  praise  and 
admiration.  Now  the  position  of  those  who  uphold 
classical  education  is  defensive ;  the  friends  of  the  classics 
are  contending  for  the  very  existence  of  the  learning 
which  they  love.  There  has  come  a  vast  change  in  the 
attitude  toward  the  "humanities"  of  those  who  guide 
education.  Is  this  change  and  the  consequent  assault 


98  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

upon  the  classics  justified?    Is  it  not  being  carried  to  a 
most  injurious  extreme? 

We  cannot  answer  these  questions  without  a  glance 
at  the  past,  without  recalling  for  a  moment  the  com- 
monplaces of  modern  history,  because  modern  history 
begins  with  the  revival  of  learning  and  the  revival  of 
learning  was  the  resurrection  of  the  literature  and  the 
civilization  of  Greece  and  Rome.  From  the  days  of  the 
Italian  humanists  when  the  discovery  of  a  Greek  or 
Latin  manuscript,  a  palimpsest  perhaps  hidden  in  some 
remote  convent,  was  equal  almost  to  a  patent  of  no- 
bility, for  some  five  hundred  years  the  classics  were  not 
only  regarded  as  the  symbol  and  test  of  the  highest 
education  but  as  the  highest  education  itself.  Some 
few  classical  authors  were  familiar  to  Europe  long  be- 
fore the  age  of  Petrarch,  but  the  great  discoveries  of 
classical  literature  were  coincident  with  what  is  known 
as  the  Renaissance.  It  matters  not  whether  the  resur- 
rection of  this  great  and  long  buried  literature  was  the 
cause  of  the  Renaissance,  or  was  a  powerful  influence 
or  was  merely  a  manifestation,  a  product  of  the  time. 
In  the  minds  of  men  the  revival  of  learning — that  is,  of 
the  classics — was  indissolubly  associated  with  the  re- 
birth of  intellectual  freedom,  with  the  breaking  of  the 
fetters  of  the  age  of  faith,  with  the  liberation  of  the 
human  mind,  with  the  dispersion  of  the  dark  clouds 
which  had  obscured  the  vision  of  men  and  which  had 
made  this  world  for  the  mass  of  the  people  a  foul  and 
cruel  place,  reeking  with  filth  and  disease  and  steeped 
in  ignorance,  on  the  theory  that  only  in  this  manner 
could  eternal  tortures  be  avoided  and  eternal  joys  in 
the  next  world  be  secured.  When  Fox  founded  Corpus 
Christi  College  at  Oxford  early  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 


ADDRESSES  99 

tury  he  established  two  chairs  for  Greek  and  Latin  "to 
extirpate  barbarism."  Even  so  men  in  those  days 
looked  upon  the  two  great  languages  as  bringing  them 
from  darkness  to  light,  from  barbarism  to  civilization. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  therefore  that  men  felt  a 
profound  gratitude  to  the  studies  to  which  they  attribu- 
ted the  new  birth  of  intellectual  freedom  or  that  they 
made  those  studies  the  touchstone  of  the  highest  edu- 
cation, the  badge  of  scholarship  without  which,  even  if 
the  acquaintance  was  only  nominal,  no  one  could  assert 
that  he  was  educated  either  liberally  or  as  a  gentleman. 
This  natural  gratitude  with  its  profound  and  lasting 
effect  upon  the  minds  of  men  was  very  far  from  being 
purely  sentimental.  In  the  literature  of  Greece  and 
Rome,  thus  disclosed  anew  to  the  world,  was  preserved 
the  noblest  poetry,  lyric,  epic  and  dramatic,  which  the 
imagination  of  man  had  brought  forth — unrivalled  then, 
never  surpassed  since.  In  the  surviving  ruins  of  tem- 
ples and  palaces,  in  the  statues  taken  from  the  earth, 
there  met  the  eyes  of  the  eager  searchers  an  art  and  an 
architecture  of  extraordinary  perfection  both  in  pro- 
portion and  in  form  which  then  regained  possession  of 
the  world  and  which  has  never  ceased  to  influence  pro- 
foundly all  that  the  architect  and  the  artist  have  since 
produced  for  the  instruction,  the  delight  or  the  use  of 
their  fellow  men  from  that  day  to  this.  As  the  manu- 
scripts gradually  came  forth  into  the  light  there  was 
disclosed  the  history  of  antiquity  from  Herodotus  to 
Tacitus  and  models  were  thus  given  to  the  world  of 
what  history  and  biography  might  be.  Philosophy  and 
metaphysics,  culminating  in  Plato  and  Aristotle  and  in 
the  discourses  of  Socrates,  put  at  the  service  of  man- 
kind the  speculations  of  the  most  remarkable  minds  the 


100  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

world  has  ever  known,  ranging  over  every  field  of  hu- 
man thought  and  affecting  and  advancing  knowledge 
and  civilization  with  a  force  which  must  always  be  reck- 
oned with  and  which  lies  at  the  very  roots  of  all  that  has 
been  since  accomplished.  There  too,  in  this  literature 
of  the  past,  were  uncovered  the  foundations  of  the  very 
sciences  which  would  now  consign  the  classics  to  ob- 
livion. In  Euclid  were  found  the  system  and  problems 
of  geometry ;  the  science  of  numbers  and  arithmetic  had 
engaged  the  acute  Greek  intelligence;  Lucretius  em- 
bodied the  atomic  theory  of  the  Epicureans  in  one  of 
the  world's  great  poems,  and  the  essays,  orations  and 
letters  of  Cicero  gave  style  to  the  prose  of  modern  Eu- 
rope. In  the  appliances  which  improve  the  conditions 
of  daily  existence  the  men  of  the  Renaissance  found 
ample  lessons  in  the  work  of  the  Roman  engineers  which 
had  covered  Europe  with  roads  and  bridges ;  in  systems 
of  drainage  as  old  as  Babylon,  a  marvellous  contrast  to 
the  filth  of  the  mediaeval  cities  which  used  their  streets 
as  open  sewers  and  bred  disease  and  plagues  and  the 
black  death  among  the  people.  They  contemplated  at 
last  with  considerate  eyes  the  ruins  of  the  baths  and 
gymnasiums  and  slowly  learned  that  personal  cleanli- 
ness promoted  health  and  comfort  and  that  dirt  was  not 
really  essential  to  sanctity. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  Greek  and  Latin,  with  mathe- 
matics as  a  companion,  took  possession  of  education  and 
held  it  well  down  into  the  second  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  During  this  uncontested  reign  came  not  only 
such  events  as  the  discovery  of  America  and  the  Refor- 
mation but  a  vast  development  of  art  and  literature,  the 
great  modern  literature  of  the  world,  sculpture  inspired 
by  Greece  but  touched  with  the  imagination  of  Christi- 


ADDRESSES  101 

anity,  and  such  frescoes  and  paintings  as  the  world  had 
never  seen  before.  Nor  did  the  devotion  to  classical 
scholarship  narrow  the  field  of  intellectual  activity.  In- 
vention was  at  work  and  the  bounds  of  knowledge  were 
widened  beyond  all  that  men  had  ever  imagined  to  be 
possible.  Science,  which  in  certain  lower  forms  has  of 
late  grown  so  hostile  to  the  classics,  could  hardly  be  said 
to  have  been  impeded  or  retarded  by  their  supremacy 
during  a  period  which  began  with  Copernicus  and  Gali- 
leo, which  included  Bacon  and  Newton  and  closed  with 
Charles  Darwin  and  Pasteur,  to  take  at  random  only  a 
few  of  the  greatest  among  many  great  names.  The 
classical  system  supplemented  by  mathematics  was 
known  as  a  liberal  education  in  contradistinction  to  an 
education  devoid  of  classical  studies  or  confined  to 
special  and  technical  training.  The  phrase  was  just, 
because  whatever  the  defects  of  the  classical  education 
it  may  truly  be  said  that  it  has  always  instilled  into  all 
those  subjected  to  it  a  respect  for  knowledge  and  learn- 
ing in  any  form  and  in  any  direction,  possessing  a  really 
liberalizing  influence  which  seems  at  times  sadly  lacking 
in  purely  scientific  or  technical  training. 

Despite  the  fact,  however,  that  the  classical  educa- 
tion was  essentially  liberal  in  its  attitude  toward  all 
education  and  all  learning,  the  opposition  to  it  which 
began,  roughly  speaking,  some  fifty  years  ago  was  di- 
rected against  its  exclusiveness,  and  sought  to  overthrow 
its  monopoly  of  studies  which  rested  on  the  doctrine  that 
whatever  else  a  student  might  acquire  he  could  never  be 
deemed  a  thoroughly  educated  man  unless  he  had  at 
least  passed  through  a  certain  course  of  classics.  The 
movement  against  this  exclusiveness  was  based  no  doubt 
upon  sound  reasons.  It  was  entirely  successful  and  the 


102  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

doors  of  our  universities  were  opened  to  those  who  of- 
fered scientific  courses  or  modern  languages  in  place  of 
one  at  least  of  the  classical  requirements.  But  the  move- 
ment has  not  stopped  at  this  point.  It  is  now  pressing 
on  toward  the  practical  exclusion  of  the  classics,  toward 
a  complete  reversal  of  the  old  system,  and  there  are 
many  preparatory  schools  supposed  to  fit  boys  for  the 
higher  education  where  Greek  at  least  is  substantially 
abandoned.  In  the  universities  themselves  the  tendency 
is  more  and  more  in  the  direction  of  giving  up  the  clas- 
sics and  making  the  entire  essential  curriculum  consist 
of  scientific  and  economic  studies  united  in  some  mea- 
sure with  modern  languages. 

This  comparatively  recent  and  very  extreme  hostil- 
ity to  the  classics,  to  the  studies  which  lifted  modern 
civilization  out  of  the  darkness  that  followed  the  fall  of 
the  Roman  Empire  and  which  for  nearly  five  hundred 
years  was  the  foundation  and  the  test  of  the  higher  edu- 
cation, seems  to  deserve  examination.  Before  the  clas- 
sics are  relegated  to  a  few  scholars,  philologists  and 
lovers  of  literature,  let  us  inquire  whether  it  is  wise  thus 
to  sentence  them  to  banishment.  In  making  this  in- 
quiry it  is  well  to  begin  with  the  fundamental  question 
as  to  what  education  is  in  the  last  analysis. 

The  first  and  dominant  object  of  all  education  is  to 
teach  the  child,  the  boy  or  girl,  to  use  his  or  her  mind; 
that  is,  in  other  words,  to  teach  them  so  to  control  their 
minds  that  they  can  apply  them  to  any  subject  of  study 
and  especially  to  a  subject  which  it  is  a  duty  and  not  a 
pleasure  to  master  and  understand.  When  this  power 
to  use  and  control  the  mind  is  once  thoroughly  attained 
the  boy  or  girl  can  then  learn  anything  which  his  or  her 
mind  is  capable  of  receiving  and  acquiring.  Very  few 


ADDRESSES  103 

minds  can  master  every  branch  of  learning.  The  man 
who  can  learn  languages  may  be  wholly  unable  to  go 
beyond  the  rudiments  of  mathematics.  Some  minds 
again  are  much  more  powerful  than  others,  just  as  some 
bodies  are  more  muscular  than  others,  and  are  able  to 
go  further  in  any  direction  than  the  average  intelli- 
gence. We  all  have  our  mental  limitations.  But  it  is 
none  the  less  profoundly  true  that  those  who  have  been 
taught  to  use  and  control  their  minds  can  apply  them  to 
any  subject  and  go  as  far  as  their  individual  limitations 
permit.  So  far  all,  I  believe,  who  have  reflected  upon 
the  subject  will  agree.  I  think  we  may  also  agree  that 
as  any  form  of  exercise  will  develop  some  muscles  and 
some  forms  will  develop  all,  so  any  kind  of  study  prop- 
erly pursued,  whether  it  is  arithmetic  or  Sanscrit  roots, 
will  develop  the  muscles  of  the  mind  and  give  it  the 
power  of  continuous  application  by  a  mere  exercise  of 
the  will.  It  is  equally  true,  however,  that  the  use  of 
dumb  bells,  on  the  one  hand,  and  walking,  on  the  other, 
will  not  develop  the  same  set  of  muscles,  although  both 
contribute  generally  to  health  and  strength.  In  attain- 
ing to  the  command  of  the  mind,  to  the  power  of  con- 
trolling its  application  by  will,  the  same  rule  holds  good, 
but  there  is  a  wide  choice  of  method,  because  while  any 
study  can  be  used  to  develop  strength  and  vigor,  some 
will  narrow  and  others  broaden ;  some  will  cease  to  have 
any  value  beyond  the  simple  production  of  strength, 
while  others  equally  efficient  in  this  direction  will  lead  to 
results  which  bring  lifelong  uses  and  pleasures. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  the  division  of  opinion  begins. 
The  old  and  long  established  curriculum  which  was  con- 
fined to  the  classics  and  to  mathematics  was  quite  as 
efficient  as  any  other  system  in  teaching  a  boy,  if  the 


104  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

teaching  was  good,  to  apply  and  control  his  mind.  This 
also  might  be  said  in  its  behalf,  that  when  a  boy  was 
capable  of  learning  and  also  of  retaining  anything 
which  he  had  been  taught,  the  two  capabilities  being  by 
no  means  inseparable,  he  went  from  school  to  college  or 
into  the  world  really  knowing  something  about  one  or 
two  subjects,  instead  of  knowing  little  or  nothing  of  a 
great  many  subjects  upon  which  his  time  had  been  dis- 
persed, a  result  which  seems  to  be  preferred  at  the  pres- 
ent day  by  educational  experts  no  doubt  far  wiser  than 
those  of  the  past.  If  I  may  be  permitted,  let  me  take 
an  illustration  from  my  own  experience.  There  was  a 
certain  boy,  whom  I  knew  very  intimately,  brought  up 
as  we  all  were  fifty  years  since  under  the  old  curriculum. 
When  he  went  to  college  he  knew  thoroughly  the  Greek 
and  Latin  grammars  in  which  he  had  been  painfully 
and  reluctantly  drilled.  He  knew  both  the  syntax  and 
prosody  and  was  fully  possessed  of  the  idea  that  a  false 
quantity  in  Latin  was  little  short  of  a  crime ;  his  feelings 
on  this  point  were  like  those  of  Browning's  Spanish 
monk  as  to  the 

"great  text  in  Galatians, 
Once  you  trip  on  it,  entails 
Twenty-nine  distinct  damnations, 
One  sure,  if  another  fails." 

He  could  write  Latin  prose.  It  was  far  from  classical, 
but  it  was  grammatical  and  comprehensible.  He  could 
read  Latin  and  Greek  at  sight;  that  is,  Greek  no  more 
difficult  that  the  Crito  and  Gorgias  which  he  studied  in 
his  sophomore  year.  He  was  able  to  learn  enough  arith- 
metic, algebra,  plane  and  solid  geometry  and  trigonom- 
etry to  pass  all  his  examinations  with  rather  high  per- 


ADDRESSES  105 

centages,  but  he  was  wholly  unable  to  retain  them  and 
they  fled  after  the  examinations  and  left  "not  a  rack 
behind."  In  all  that  concerned  mathematics  his  limita- 
tions were  hopeless.  In  the  middle  of  his  college  course, 
tempted  by  the  attractions  and  greater  ease  of  the  elec- 
tive system,  he  deserted  his  Latin  and  Greek,  which  he 
has  regretted  all  his  life  since,  for  although  he  has  re- 
tained his  Latin  so  that  he  can  read  it  with  pleasure,  his 
Greek,  neglected,  has  become  laborious  and  would  re- 
quire to  regain  it  in  proper  measure  time  which  a  much 
occupied  life  could  not  spare.  Since  those  far  off  days 
the  boy  has  had  sons  and  grandsons  who  in  turn  have 
been  blessed  by  all  the  most  modern  advantages  and 
latest  improvements  in  education.  He  has  observed 
them  closely  and  he  has  failed  to  see  that  they  were  bet- 
ter taught  than  he  was  or  knew  more  or  could  use  their 
minds  better  than  he  could  at  the  same  age.  Of  course 
after  school  ended  his  sons  came  to  know  far  more  than 
their  father  because  they  had  finer  intelligences.  But 
the  boy  of  whom  I  speak  has  remained  so  unregenerate 
that  he  is  trying  even  now  to  make  sure  that  his  grand- 
sons are  taught  Greek  at  school,  so  that  in  the  days  he 
will  not  see  they  may  at  least  know  what  resulted  from 
the  wrath  of  Achilles  and  why  people  speak  of  bending 
the  bow  of  Odysseus.  I  can  hear  the  wise  educator  of 
today,  as  I  indulge  in  this  reminiscence,  exclaim  at  such 
an  education  as  I  have  described  and  rejoice  that  it  has 
been  done  away  with.  Perhaps  he  is  right.  I  should 
not  think  of  setting  my  opinion  against  his.  Yet  I  can- 
not but  feel  some  doubt  of  his  absolute  correctness 
creep  over  me  when  I  consider  the  events  of  the  last 
three  years,  as  to  the  perfection  of  our  most  modern 
civilization  which  is  so  largely  the  work  of  our  most 


106  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

advanced  methods  of  education.  I  have  become  very 
sceptical  as  to  the  wisdom  which  would  cast  the  litera- 
ture of  Greece  and  Rome  upon  the  dust  heaps,  when 
I  have  contemplated  the  performances  of  the  most  di- 
versely and  most  thoroughly  educated  people  in  the 
world,  from  whom  we  have  so  largely  borrowed  in  the 
way  of  education ;  when  I  have  seen  that  people  develop 
to  the  highest  point  the  science  of  destroying  human 
lives,  as  perhaps  was  to  have  been  expected;  when  I 
have  seen  them  produce  an  organized  barbarism  far 
surpassing  in  its  savage  efficiency  any  that  has  ever 
afflicted  the  world;  when  I  have  witnessed  the  deeds 
wrought  by  the  products  of  the  most  modern  and  im- 
proved methods  of  education  which  surpass  in  wanton 
destruction,  in  equally  wanton  cruelty,  in  sheer  naked 
horror,  anything  which  history  can  show;  when  I  have 
beheld  all  this  I  have  seriously  doubted  whether  the 
most  modern  education  has  been  quite  such  a  complete 
success  as  its  advocates  assert.  In  the  centuries  of 
classical  education  which  followed  the  Renaissance  and 
the  revival  of  learning  there  were  wars  in  abundance — 
generally  needless,  sometimes  desolating,  often  cruel, 
always  destructive  and  sad.  But  in  all  that  long  period 
there  was  never  anything  so  wholly  hideous  as  that 
which  we  have  seen  in  this  present  war.  "Ruin  has 
taught  me  thus  to  ruminate"  and  I  think  that  it  is  easy 
to  show  that  to  detect  a  connection  beween  methods  of 
education  and  the  events  of  the  present  worldwide  war 
is  not  wholly  fanciful.  Meantime  let  me  ask  pardon 
for  the  long  digression  to  which  my  little  illustration 
has  given  rise  and  let  us  return  to  the  main  question. 

Admitting  that  any  form  of  learning  can  if  properly 
administered  teach  the  use  and  the  control  of  the  mind; 


ADDRESSES  107 

admitting  that  there  is  a  wide  choice  in  the  forms  to  be 
adopted  for  this  purpose  and  that  it  is  well  that  the 
classical  exclusiveness  or  monopoly  has  been  ended,  let 
us  consider  if  it  is  not  also  well  to  resist  the  attempt 
now  on  foot  to  drive  the  classics  from  the  preparatory 
schools  and  treat  them  with  a  cold  and  almost  deadly 
indifference  in  the  universities. 

The  reasons  given  for  this  treatment  of  the  classics 
are  various  in  form  but  eventually  the  same  in  sub- 
stance. They  may  all  practically  be  reduced  to  the  ob- 
jection made  to  me  very  lately,  when  I  was  urging  that 
the  classics  ought  to  be  taught  in  every  school  which 
prepares  for  the  higher  education,  to  the  effect  that  they 
were  of  no  use  in  after  life.  I  have  often  quoted  in  this 
connection  Lowell's  definition  of  a  university,  as  a  place 
where  nothing  useful  was  taught,  and  beneath  the  wit 
lies  a  sound  philosophy  demonstrating  that  there  must 
be  places  where  learning,  scholarship  and  knowledge 
can  be  pursued  and  acquired  for  their  own  sake,  because 
if  their  fate  is  to  be  decided  simply  by  the  money  test 
they  will  soon  wither  away,  and  thought  and  civilization 
and  the  higher  life  of  the  intellect  will  die  with  them. 
I  have  used  the  words  "money  test,"  and  when  people 
say  the  classics  are  of  no  use  they  mean  very  frequently, 
if  not  very  generally,  that  they  will  not  help  a  man  to 
make  money.  If  this  was  applied  to  the  pursuits  which 
have  no  purpose  except  to  enable  a  man  to  earn  his  own 
living,  a  high  and  primary  duty,  it  would  be  certainly 
sound;  but  the  higher  education,  which  multitudes  de- 
sire and  many  in  varying  degrees  attain,  goes  beyond 
the  manual  occupations  and  aims  at  least  to  develop  the 
purely  intellectual  faculties.  Here  the  mere  money  test 
seems  unsatisfactory ;  in  fact  many  persons  regard  it  as 


108  VALUE   OF  THE   CLASSICS 

a  very  sordid  test  indeed.  The  apostles  and  teachers  of 
religion,  the  moralists,  the  poets,  the  dramatists,  the 
artists,  the  philosophers,  the  students  of  science  and  of 
nature,  the  men  whose  thought  has  moved  the  world  and 
led  humanity  in  its  groping,  stumbling  march  across  the 
centuries,  have  rarely  been  money  seekers  or  money  get- 
ters. Without  such  men  and  such  minds  it  is  highly 
probable  that  we  should  still  be  running  naked  in  the 
woods  and  the  opportunities  even  for  making  money 
would  be  very  small.  Tried  by  the  money  test  alone 
everything  but  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic  would 
properly  be  excluded  and  therefore  I  think  we  may  dis- 
card money  making  as  a  wholly  worthless  test  for  the 
exclusion  of  the  classics  or  of  any  other  study  which 
should  engage  the  attention  of  those  who  seek  in  any 
degree  the  higher  education. 

The  larger  objection  that  the  classics  are  neither  nec- 
essary nor  useful  in  after  life  to  those  who  have  studied 
them  in  school  or  college  is  so  vague  that  it  can  only  be 
dealt  with  in  general  terms.  As  to  the  question  of  the 
necessity  I  can  only  reply  in  the  words  of  the  greatest 
of  geniuses  who  made  a  little  learning  go  a  very  long 
way  and  gathered  a  small  fortune  at  the  same  time. 
When  Regan  says  "What  need  one?"  Lear  replies: 

"O!  Reason  not  the  need;  our  basest  beggars 
Are  in  the  poorest  thing  superfluous: 
Allow  not  nature  more  than  nature  needs, 
Man's  life  is  cheap  as  beast's." 

When  we  come  to  the  question  of  utility  the  field  is  a 
wide  one  and  the  tests  must  be  comparative  and  cannot 
be  absolute,  but  a  little  inquiry  and  consideration  are 
not  out  of  place  before  we  accept  the  dogma  of  the 


ADDRESSES  109 

votaries  of  applied  science  and  of  the  mechanic  arts  as 
well  as  of  so-called  practical  men.  Take  the  learned 
professions.  Surely  it  is  well  that  the  clergy  should 
have  some  knowledge  of  the  language  of  the  New 
Testament  and  of  that  other  in  which  a  large  part  of 
the  Christian  world  repeat  their  prayers  and  read  their 
Bibles.  It  cannot  be  wholly  without  value  to  physicians 
and  surgeons  to  be  acquainted  with  the  language  and 
the  literature  of  the  race  among  whom  their  noble  and 
beneficent  profession  finds  its  birthplace  or  of  the  lan- 
guage in  which  they  still  write  their  prescriptions,  or  of 
both  these  languages  from  which  they  bring  forth  for 
their  new  drugs  and  new  diseases  names  which  not  in- 
frequently they  mispronounce.  Lawyers  no  doubt  can 
make  a  living,  and  often  a  very  good  one,  knowing  only 
the  statutes  and  the  more  obvious  rules  of  pleading  and 
practice.  But  it  can  hardly  be  questioned  that  if  they 
go  beyond  this  limited  region  a  familiarity  with  the  lan- 
guage which  enshrines  the  maxims  they  quote,  and  in 
which  is  written  that  great  system  of  jurisprudence  be- 
queathed to  us  by  the  Romans  and  still  followed  in  most 
countries  of  Western  civilization,  is  not  only  useful  but 
desirable.  If  we  turn  to  the  higher  sciences  we  find  a 
like  condition.  The  astronomer  cannot  explore  the 
heavens  without  seeing  the  beautiful  mythology  of 
Greece  forever  written  in  the  stars.  The  Greek  alpha- 
bet figures  in  his  catalogues  and  calculations  and  some 
of  his  greatest  forerunners  wrote  in  Latin.  The  natur- 
alists, the  botanists,  the  geologists,  the  biologists,  not 
only  owe  their  very  names  to  the  classics  which  some  of 
them  despise,  but  it  would  not  come  amiss  if  they  knew, 
as  no  doubt  many  of  them  do,  something  of  the  lan- 
guages from  which  they  take  their  nomenclatures  and 


110  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

of  the  literatures  where  appear  the  first  guesses  at  scien- 
tific truths  and  the  first  and  often  very  brilliant  specu- 
lations as  to  the  secrets  of  the  universe.  In  philology, 
anthropology  and  archaeology  a  knowledge  of  Latin 
and  Greek  is  of  course  essential.  As  to  literature  it  is 
needless  to  argue.  A  literary  man  should  know  some- 
thing of  literature,  and  literature  includes  the  writings 
of  Greece  and  Rome.  In  all  these  instances  which  I 
have  cited  it  is  difficult  to  find  justification  for  asserting 
that  the  study  of  the  classics  is  a  waste  of  time  because 
they  are  useless  in  after  life. 

It  will,  I  know,  be  objected  that  I  have  mentioned 
only  learned  professions,  the  higher  sciences  and  liter- 
ature and  have  omitted  that  supremely  important  per- 
son whom  certain  people  desire  most  especially  to  pro- 
tect against  the  ravages  of  the  time  wasting  classics — 
"the  average  man."  I  am  as  far  as  possible  from  for- 
getting him.  Lincoln  told  John  Hay  one  morning  how 
he  had  dreamed  the  night  before  that  he  entered  a 
crowded  hall  to  make  a  speech.  As  he  passed  down  the 
aisle  he  heard  someone  say  "What  a  common  looking 
man,"  and  in  his  dream  he  turned  to  the  man  who  had 
spoken  and  said,  "My  friend,  God  loves  common  look- 
ing men.  That's  why  He  makes  so  many  of  them."  The 
"average  man"  is  the  central  figure  in  our  problem.  Re- 
peatedly have  I  been  told  that  there  was  no  use  in  teach- 
ing the  classics  to  boys  in  school  or  college  because  the 
"average  men"  never  used  them  or  recurred  to  them  in 
after  life.  One  feels  inclined  to  say  "All  the  worse  for 
the  'average  man'  "  and  to  feel  sorry  for  his  loss  of  so 
much  that  is  elevating  and  delightful.  But  admitting 
the  truth  of  the  objection,  how  much  real  force  is  there 
in  it  when  one  applies  the  comparative  test?  How  large 


ADDRESSES  111 

a  part  do  mathematics  and  science  in  various  forms  play 
in  the  daily  life  and  current  interests  of  the  "average 
man"?  How  many  "average  men"  amuse  their  leisure 
by  solving  algebraic  problems,  or  by  trying  to  conceive 
the  fourth  dimension;  how  many  can  explain  to  you — 
I  take  an  obvious  illustration — the  Mendelian  theory 
of  the  dominant  and  recessive  qualities,  or  the  Linnaean 
system,  or  tell  you  of  the  movements  and  appearances 
of  the  fauna  of  Europe  during  the  glacial  periods  and 
intervals,  or  even  name  to  you  all  the  great  constella- 
tions of  stars  which  look  down  upon  them  nightly  in 
silent  splendor?  My  occupations  have  brought  me  into 
contact  with  very  many  average  men  and  also  with  men 
above  and  below  the  average,  and  far  more  have  refer- 
red to  the  history  and  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome 
than  to  any  of  the  well  known  scientific  subjects  to 
which  I  have  at  random  alluded.  The  fact  is  that  not 
to  know  who  Mendel  was  or  what  the  fossils  show  as  to 
animal  life  is  not  necessarily  esteemed  a  mark  of  igno- 
rance, but  never  to  have  heard  of  Socrates,  or  Pericles, 
of  Hannibal  or  Caesar  or  Cicero,  is  held  to  indicate  a 
very  defective  education  to  say  the  least.  And  yet  no 
one  would  think  of  arguing  that  boys  should  not  be 
made  acquainted  with  the  simpler  forms  of  mathematics 
and  geometry  because  in  after  years  the  "average  man" 
as  a  rule  finds  little  use  and  less  pleasure  from  them  in 
daily  life. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  strongest  and  most  intoler- 
ant hostility  to  the  classics  comes  in  the  name  of  science, 
sometimes  assumed  without  warrant  by  the  persons  who 
employ  it,  there  is  another  movement  against  the  lan- 
guages and  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome  conducted 
by  those  who  urge  that  they  be  displaced  and  replaced 


VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

by  modern  languages  which  are  either  their  children  or 
their  debtors.  No  one,  I  think,  can  feel  more  keenly 
than  I  the  importance  of  modern  languages.  The  man 
who  can  read,  still  more  the  man  who  can  speak  one  or 
more  languages  other  than  his  own,  doubles,  trebles, 
multiplies  almost  indefinitely  his  capacity,  his  useful- 
ness, his  efficiency  and  his  enjoyments.  I  am,  as  I  have 
said,  an  unregenerate  person  and  I  am  glad  that  I  had 
a  classical  education,  but  I  have  always  regretted  that 
I  was  not  taught  Latin  and  Greek  by  ear  first,  taught 
to  speak  them  in  the  way  all  languages,  spoken  or  un- 
spoken, modern  or  ancient,  should  be  taught.  No  one 
will  go  further  than  I  in  advocating  the  study  of  mod- 
ern languages,  but  I  am  utterly  unable  to  see  why  it 
should  be  considered  a  prerequisite  to  their  study  to 
displace  the  classics.  They  are  complementary,  not 
opposed,  and  in  the  higher  education  certainly  the  class- 
ics and  the  modern  languages  ought  to  go  hand  in  hand. 
It  was  said  that  Von  Moltke  was  able  to  keep  silent  in 
six  languages,  a  marvellous  feat  even  in  one.  But  the 
power  to  speak  after  a  fashion  two  or  three  languages  is 
as  common  as  Von  Moltke's  many  tongued  silence  is 
rare  and  is  not  incompatible  with  ignorance  or  illiteracy. 
There  are  also  many  persons  like  Thackeray's  couriers 
who  spoke,  every  one  of  them,  several  languages  "in- 
differently ill."  It  is  a  pecuniarily  profitable  accomp- 
lishment in  such  cases  and  usually  leads  to  success  as  a 
courier,  a  concierge,  a  hotelkeeper,  and  the  like,  all  ex- 
cellent occupations,  but  not  concerned  with  the  higher 
education.  It  is  quite  certain  that  a  man  may  speak  one 
or  more  modern  languages  very  well  and  know  and 
enjoy  their  literatures  without  having  studied  the  class- 
ics, but  that  is  no  argument  against  possessing  also  a 


ADDRESSES  113 

knowledge  of  Greek  and  Latin.  Such  knowledge  can- 
not but  help  any  man  in  the  modern  languages  of  Eu- 
rope, for  they  have  all  borrowed  or  have  sprung  from 
Latin  and  Greek.  A  man  may  easily  speak  a  modern 
language  other  than  his  own  almost  faultlessly,  but  un- 
less he  has  some  acquaintance  with  Greek  and  Latin  he 
can  never  hope  for  real  scholarship  in  the  spoken  tongue 
which  he  has  acquired  or  for  a  thorough  comprehension 
of  it.  The  study  and  acquisition  of  modern  languages 
instead  of  being  a  reason  for  the  expulsion  of  the  classics 
from  our  schools  and  universities  are  in  reality  the 
strongest  argument  in  favor  of  their  retention.  The 
teaching  of  the  one  should  always  imply  instruction  in 
the  other. 

It  is  also  urged  sometimes  that  it  is  a  waste  of  time 
to  spend  it  upon  the  classics  because  translations  serve 
every  purpose.  The  great  authority  of  .Emerson  is 
cited  always  in  support  of  this  contention  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  he  gave  high  if  undue  value  to  the  transla- 
tion. I  am  a  lover  of  Emerson  and  there  are  very  few 
who  have  written  either  prose  or  poetry  who  have  meant 
more  to  me  than  he.  But  in  that  marvellous  and  splen- 
did intellect  the  critical  faculty  was  not  the  strongest 
and  there  seem  to  be  blind  spots  in  the  intellectual  vision 
as  there  are  in  the  eye.  Emerson  for  instance  spoke  of 
Poe  to  Mr.  Ho  wells  as  "that  jingle-man."  One  may 
like  or  dislike  Poe,  admire  him  or  contemn  him,  but  his 
place  in  the  long  annals  of  English  poetry  cannot  be 
denied  nor  can  his  extraordinary  mastery  of  metrics  and 
of  rhyme,  of  melody  and  cadence  and  rhythm  be  omit- 
ted from  the  history  or  from  the  glories  of  English 
verse.  To  call  him  a  "jingle-man"  simply  shows  that 
Emerson  was  in  those  respects  what  the  musicians  call 


114 

tone  deaf.  In  a  less  degree  the  same  may  be  said  of 
his  opinion  of  translations.  A  man  far  inferior  to 
Emerson  in  all  ways,  but  a  highly  trained  and  more 
discriminating  critic,  takes  a  very  different  view.  Boi- 
leau  said:  "Do  you  know  why  the  ancients  have  so  few 
admirers?  It  is  because  at  least  three  quarters  of  those 
who  have  translated  them  are  either  ignorant  or  dull. 
Madame  de  Lafayette,  who  had  the  finest  intelligence 
of  any  woman  in  France  and  who  wrote  the  best,  com- 
pared a  poor  translator  to  a  lackey  whom  his  mistress 
sends  to  convey  a  compliment  to  some  one.  That  which 
his  mistress  has  said  to  him  in  most  polished  phrase  he 
will  render  most  coarsely  and  will  cripple  and  mutilate 
it ;  the  greater  the  delicacy  of  the  compliment  the  worse 
will  be  the  lackey's  version:  there  in  a  word  is  the  most 
perfect  image  of  a  bad  translator."  The  same  just 
thought  is  expressed  more  tersely  by  Macaulay,  when, 
describing  Mrs.  Thrale's  anecdotes  after  they  had  passed 
through  Mr.  Croker's  hands,  he  says  that  they  become 
"as  flat  as  champagne  in  decanters  or  Herodotus  in 
Beloe's  version." 

These  judgments  on  a  large  class  of  translations  are 
much  nearer  the  truth  than  Emerson's  paradox.  We 
are  all  deeply  indebted  to  translators  and  translations, 
for  very  few  of  us  command  many  languages  and  no 
one  all  the  languages  from  which  we  desire  to  obtain 
either  information  or  the  gratification  of  our  tastes  in 
literature.  Yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that  in  the  change 
from  the  original  to  a  new  medium  something,  however 
impalpable,  is  always  lost  in  the  process.  In  the  liter- 
atures of  knowledge  or  mere  information  the  loss  is  so 
slight  that  it  may  be  disregarded,  but  in  the  case  of  great 
prose  writers  like  Herodotus,  Thucydides  or  Demos- 


ADDRESSES  115 

thenes,  like  Tacitus  or  Cicero,  it  becomes  very  serious 
indeed.  In  poetry  the  loss  in  translation  is  not  only 
much  greater  than  in  prose  but  it  is  so  far  reaching  that 
many  good  judges  regard  the  adequate  translation  of 
poetry  as  an  almost  impossible  feat.  Without  going  to 
this  extreme  it  may  be  fairly  said  that  many  of  the 
beauties  of  poetry  and  much  of  the  delicate  effect  of 
versification  disappear  in  the  passage  from  one  lan- 
guage to  another  and  we  can  only  accept  the  poem  in 
its  changed  form  as  a  last  resource,  which  is  no  doubt 
far  better  than  nothing.  It  must  of  course  be  under- 
stood that  what  has  just  been  said  does  not  apply  to 
those  great  books  founded  on  the  ideas  expressed  in  the 
poetry  of  another  language  which  are  miscalled  transla- 
tions, but  which  are  in  reality  new,  creative  and  splendid 
works  of  imagination  and  style,  quite  independent  in 
the  adopted  language,  like  the  English  Bible  and  Fitz- 
Gerald's  rendering  of  Omar  Khayyam.  Moreover  the 
assertion  that  translations  demonstrate  the  needless- 
ness  of  studying  Greek  and  Latin  proves  too  much. 
For  if  it  is  sound  it  would  make  equally  futile  the  study 
of  any  language,  native  or  foreign,  except  for  the  pur- 
poses of  very  restricted  conversation. 

I  have  endeavored  within  the  inexorable  limits  which 
time  imposes  to  make  replication  of  a  general  character 
to  the  objections  most  usually  made  against  classical 
studies  in  our  schools  and  universities.  Let  me  now 
with  all  possible  brevity  try  to  give  some  of  the  affirma- 
tive arguments  which  can  be  made  in  their  behalf.  I 
will  begin  by  quoting  the  plea  made  recently  by  certain 
distinguished  men  in  England  in  behalf  of  the  mainte- 
nance of  classical  studies,  for  in  England  there  is  the 
same  movement  against  them  as  in  the  United  States. 


116  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

I  take  it  from  an  admirable  article  by  Professor  Moore, 
published  in  the  Harvard  Graduates  Magazine  last  De- 
cember. Speaking  of  the  signers  of  this  public  letter 
Professor  Moore  says : 

"The  list  includes  Lord  Bryce,  Lord  Cromer,  Lord 
Curzon,  Walter  Leaf,  Sir  William  Osier,  H.  A.  L. 
Fisher,  Sir  G.  O.  Trevelyan,  Sir  Archibald  Geikie,  the 
Bishop  of  Oxford,  and  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
all  known  to  Americans.  Every  lover  of  the  classics  will 
be  glad  to  take  as  his  creed  their  statement,  a  portion  of 
which  is  here  quoted: 

'  'It  is  our  conviction  that  the  nation  requires  scientific 
method  and  a  belief  in  mental  training,  even  more  than 
physical  science,  and  that  the  former  is  by  no  means 
identical  with  the  latter.  We  might  enthrone  physical 
science  in  all  our  schools  without  acquiring  as  a  nation 
what  we  most  need,  the  persuasion  that  knowledge  is 
essential  to  progress,  and  that  it  has  to  be  acquired  by 
the  cultivation  of  the  faculty  of  independent  reflection, 
which  implies  the  power  of  selecting,  combining  and 
testing  the  essential  facts  of  the  subject  in  hand.  This 
scientific  method  is  not  the  peculiar  property  of  physi- 
cal science:  all  good  work  in  all  studies  is  based  upon 
it;  it  is  indispensable  to  law,  history,  classics,  politics 
and  all  branches  of  knowledge  rightly  understood. 
What  we  want  is  scientific  method  in  all  the  branches  of 
an  education  which  will  develop  human  faculty  and  the 
power  of  thinking  clearly  to  the  highest  possible  degree. 

:  'In  this  education  we  believe  that  the  study  of  Greece 
and  Rome  must  always  have  a  large  part,  because  our 
whole  civilization  is  rooted  in  the  history  of  these  peo- 
ples, and  without  knowledge  of  them  cannot  be  properly 
understood.  The  small  city  communities  of  Greece 
created  the  intellectual  life  of  Europe.  In  their  liter- 
ature we  find  models  of  thought  and  expression,  and 


ADDRESSES  117 

meet 'the  subtle  and  powerful  personalities  who  origi- 
nated for  Europe  all  forms  of  poetry,  history  and  phil- 
osophy, and  even  physical  science  itself,  no  less  than  the 
ideal  of  freedom  and  the  conception  of  a  self-governing 
democracy;  while  the  student  is  introduced  to  the  great 
problems  of  thought  and  life  at  their  springs,  before  he 
follows  them  through  the  wider  but  more  confused  cur- 
rents of  the  modern  world.  Nor  can  it  be  right  that  the 
educated  citizens  of  a  great  empire  should  remain  igno- 
rant of  the  first  state  that  met  the  problem  of  uniting  in 
a  contented  and  prosperous  commonwealth  nations  dif- 
fering in  race,  temper  and  culture,  and  which  has  left 
so  deep  a  mark  on  the  language,  law  and  political  con- 
ceptions of  Europe.  Some  knowledge  of  Latin  is  indis- 
pensable for  the  intelligent  study  of  any  one  of  these 
things,  and  even  for  the  intelligent  use  of  our  own  lan- 
guage. Greece  and  Rome  afford  us  unique  instances, 
the  one  of  creative  and  critical  intelligence,  the  other  of 
constructive  statesmanship.  Nor  can  we  afford  to  ne- 
glect the  noble  precepts  and  shining  examples  of 
patriotism  with  which  their  history  abounds/  ' 

The  signers  of  this  letter  lay  emphasis  on  the  effort  to 
"enthrone  physical  science"  in  all  the  schools,  and  that  is 
the  precise  effort  which  is  being  made  here.  Should 
this  plan  succeed  there  would  be  no  brother  suffered 
near  that  throne,  whereas  the  classics  ask  only  their 
place  in  the  sun  and  would  never  exclude  any  other 
study  which  leads  to  learning  and  knowledge.  No  one 
can  have  a  deeper  or  more  reverential  respect  for  the 
higher  sciences  in  all  forms  than  I.  No  one  can  more 
admire  than  I  the  unselfish  devotion  to  the  research 
which,  unglorified  and  almost  unrewarded,  slowly 
amasses  the  obscure  facts  from  which  the  hand  of  genius 
will  one  day  pluck  forth  the  brilliant  discovery  which 


118  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

will  help  and  serve  and  protect  mankind.  And  yet, 
notwithstanding  that  all  this  is  true,  I  cannot  but  be- 
lieve that  to  the  average  boy — mark,  the  "average"  boy 
— it  is  as  profitable  to  have  read  Virgil  and  at  least 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  battles  on  the  Trojan  Plain  and 
of  the  wanderings  of  Odysseus  as  to  be  instructed  in  the 
"Hereditary  Hair  Lengths  in  Guinea  Pigs"  or  in  the 
"Anatomy  and  Development  of  the  Posterior  Lymph 
Hearts  of  the  Turtle." 

But  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  higher  sciences 
are  not  what  the  average  man  thinks  of  when  he  speaks 
of  science.  Nothing  can  be  nobler,  more  elevating, 
more  spiritually  enlarging  than  astronomy,  the  con- 
templation of  the  stars  and  interstellar  spaces  or  even 
of  our  own  little  satellite 

"The  moon,  whose  orb 

Through  optic  glass  the  Tuscan  Artist  views 
At  ev'ning  from  the  top  of  Fesole, 
Or  in  Valdarno  to  descry  new  lands, 
Rivers  or  Mountains  in  her  spotty  Globe." 

Here  we  have  the  first  classical  scholar  of  his  time  in 
words  of  imperishable  beauty  acclaiming  the  labors  of 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  science.  Milton  at  least  saw  no 
reason  for  shutting  up  one  field  of  learning  because  an- 
other lay  beside  it.  As  of  astronomy,  so  the  like  may 
be  said  of  geology,  of  biology,  of  the  studies  of  plants 
and  animals  whence  Darwin  and  his  predecessors  and 
successors  drew  the  doctrines  and  theories  of  evolution, 
which  have  so  served  and  enlightened  mankind.  But 
these  are  not  the  sciences  which  are  thought  of  when  the 
classics  are  decried.  It  is  applied  science  which  is  in 
the  minds  of  most  men  when  they  use  the  word.  To  the 


ADDRESSES  119 

mass  of  mankind  science  means  the  steam  engine  and 
the  telegraph,  the  telephone,  the  dynamo  and  the  motor 
car,  wireless  telegraphy  and  aeroplanes.  It  also  means 
the  submarine,  the  poisonous  gas,  the  high  explosives 
and  all  the  new  devices  for  the  sudden  obliteration  of 
human  lives.  No  one  would  think  of  belittling  the  value 
and  helpfulness  of  these  wonderful  inventions  which 
have  beneficent  purposes.  But  they  all  minister  to 
physical  comfort.  They  leave  the  soul  of  man  un- 
touched. The  spirit  of  man,  that  which  is  highest  in 
him,  is  not  lifted  up  and  strengthened  by  an  automobile, 
or  a  traction  engine,  or  even  by  an  incandescent  electric 
lamp.  But  the  thoughts  of  men,  of  the  philosophers, 
the  moralists  and  the  preachers  of  religion,  of  artists  and 
architects,  of  the  dramatists,  the  singers  and  the  poets, 
whether  conveyed  to  us  in  paintings,  statues  and  build- 
ings, or  in  books,  are  the  real  forces  which  have  moved 
the  world.  Applied  science  and  ingenious  invention  can 
change  and  have  changed  environment  and  have  altered 
the  scale  of  living  and  modes  of  life.  But  it  is  human 
thought  and  human  imagination  which  have  led  men  to 
the  heights  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  achievement. 
As  Napoleon  said,  it  is  imagination  which  rules  the 
world  in  the  end,  not  the  inventive  faculty  or  the  ability 
to  make  money.  Rome  developed  every  comfort,  every 
luxury,  every  physical  advantage  which  the  wit  of  man 
at  that  time  could  devise  and  which  the  wealth  of  the 
world  could  purchase.  But  none  the  less  literature 
faded,  art  declined,  the  lofty  aspirations  vanished,  bar- 
barian mercenaries  filled  the  legions  and  the  great  em- 
pire fell  and  carried  civilization  down  with  it  into  hope- 
less ruin.  Physical  luxury  and  piled  up  wealth  had 
reached  the  highest  point  ever  attained,  but  they  could 


120  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

not  save  Rome  because  the  Roman  spirit  was  dead.  In 
our  mania  for  quickening  the  work  and  pleasures  of 
life  and  rendering  it  more  comfortable  and  luxurious 
let  us  not  forget  that  the  vital  principle  without  which 
all  these  things  are  dust  and  ashes  is  to  be  found  else- 
where, in  the  books  where  the  thought,  the  soaring  as- 
pirations, the  imaginings  of  men  are  stored  up  for  the 
guidance  and  the  hope  of  succeeding  generations. 

In  the  old  classical  curriculum,  to  take  a  concrete  il- 
lustration, boys  at  a  very  early  period  and  at  the  most 
impressionable  age  heard  the  story  of  Leonidas  and 
Thermopylae;  they  knew  what  was  done  at  Marathon 
and  Salamis;  they  had  read  of  the  death  of  Epaminon- 
das;  they  realized  that  Greeks  had  died  to  save  their 
civilization  from  the  tyranny  of  the  Orient.  Passing 
from  Greece  to  Rome  they  came  to  that  larger  patriot- 
ism, that  devotion  to  the  "Patria,"  to  the  country,  which 
has  been  the  inheritance  of  all  Western  civilization.  It 
mattered  not  whether  the  old  legends  were  true  or  false ; 
the  boys  of  the  elder  day  before  they  had  reached  their 
teens  were  familiar  with  Curtius  jumping  into  the  gulf, 
Scaevola  thrusting  his  hand  into  the  flame,  Regulus  re- 
turning to  Carthage ;  most  admired  of  all,  Horatius  at 
the  bridge,  and  they  recited  vigorously  the  words  which 
Macaulay  put  into  the  hero's  mouth: 

"And  how  can  man  die  better 

Than  facing  fearful  odds 

For  the  ashes  of  his  fathers 

And  the  temples  of  his  Gods." 

Some  boys  whom  I  knew  read  a  little  Herodotus  in  the 
volume  of  selections  in  which  they  were  prepared  for 
college  and  there  they  found  this  sentence: 


ADDRESSES  121 

ffTa<Tid£eiv  xpeov  eon  ev  re  ra>  a\\q>  Kaip<o    teal  Srj  Kal 
ev  r<pSe  irepl  rov  otcorepos  ripewv  7rXea>  ayaOa  TTJV  TrarptSa 


These  are  the  words  of  Aristides  to  his  especial  enemy 
Themistocles  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Salamis. 
Roughly  translated  they  mean:  "It  is  more  becoming 
at  any  time  and  more  particularly  now  that  we  should 
show  which  one  of  us  shall  best  serve  our  country." 
Within  the  last  three  months  this  simple  sentence  has 
seemed  to  me  not  inapplicable  as  a  rule  of  conduct.  I 
look  with  wonder  and  admiration  at  the  filaments  of  the 
radio  station  climbing  up  toward  the  skies  and  take 
great  satisfaction  in  the  comfort  of  an  automobile,  but 
I  find  in  neither  the  inspiration  which  breathes  from 
this  passage  written  down  by  a  Greek  historian  born 
nearly  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago.  To  the  boys 
who  had  all  these  stories  and  sentences  drilled  into  them 
the  result  can  be  summoned  up  in  Addison's  line  — 

"Thy  life  is  not  thine  own  when  Rome  demands  it." 

With  this  idea  the  minds  of  the  boys  became  thoroughly 
familiar.  That  the  individual  life  was  to  be  sacrificed 
to  that  of  the  nation,  that  it  was  every  man's  duty  to 
offer  his  life  for  his  country  if  the  need  came,  was  re- 
garded as  a  truism  and  a  commonplace,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  It  is  well  to  have  this  conception  of  duty  and 
patriotism  looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  course,  as  some- 
thing not  to  be  disputed,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  early  saturation  of  the  boyish  mind  with  the  classics 
had  much  to  do  with  this  outcome.  They  knew  of  course 
that  the  Romans  were  in  constant  wars,  that  they 
brought  home  prisoners  taken  in  battle  and  conquest 
and  turned  them  into  slaves  as  the  Germans  are  doing 


122  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

now.  They  understood  that  Roman  rule  was  always 
efficient,  often  harsh,  sometimes  corrupt,  although  it 
was  not  guilty  of  systematic,  organized  and  wholly 
wanton  cruelty  and  barbarism.  These  things  might  all 
be  true  but  the  final  and  deep  impression  left  by  the 
classics  on  a  boy's  mind  was  of  courage,  fighting  ability, 
a  capacity  for  magnanimous  deeds,  and  above  all  and 
more  profound  than  all  others  was  the  classical  concep- 
tion of  a  patriotism  ready  always  to  sacrifice  self  and 
life  for  the  country.  Hence  comes  my  reason  for  say- 
ing at  the  beginning  that  the  connection  between  modes 
of  education  and  the  conceptions  of  maturity  and  the 
conduct  of  life  is  neither  fanciful  nor  strained.  This 
boyish  experience  is  merely  an  illustration  in  a  small 
way  of  the  manner  in  which  the  classics  have  acted  and 
reacted  upon  character  and  impulses  at  an  early  age. 
The  proposition  holds  true  on  a  far  larger  field.  From 
the  days  of  Plato  and  Aristotle,  whose  influence  has 
been  deeply  felt  for  more  than  two  thousand  years,  the 
philosophers,  the  historians,  the  poets,  the  orators,  the 
dramatists,  the  jurists  and  lawmakers  of  Greece  and 
Rome  have  moved  and  often  guided  the  highest  intel- 
ligences of  civilization  and  have  impressed  themselves 
profoundly  upon  the  thought  and  imagination  of  the 
world. 

That  word  "imagination"  brings  me  to  my  last  and,  it 
seems  to  me,  to  the  one  all-sufficient  argument  for  giv- 
ing to  the  classics  an  ample  space  in  any  scheme  of 
education,  especially  if  the  education  thus  given  ven- 
tures to  prefix  to  itself  the  word  "higher."  We  may  or 
may  not  agree  with  the  Christian  pessimist  that  "The 
world  is  very  evil,"  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it 
would  be  wholly  intolerable  if  man  was  destitute  of 


ADDRESSES 

imagination,  unable  to  enjoy  aught  but  the  satisfaction 
of  animal  needs  and  appetites  and  utterly  incapable  of 
the  creation  of  other  worlds  in  which  to  find  refuge  from 
this  one.  For  a  race  so  cursed  there  would  be  no 
beauties  in  nature,  none  in  the  sun  and  moon  and  stars 
or  in  earth  and  ocean.  There  would  be  no  beauties  of 
art,  for  there  would  be  no  art.  There  would  be  no 
laughter,  for  humor  cannot  exist  without  imagination, 
and  there  would  be  no  tears  except  those  extorted  by 
physical  anguish. 

The  earliest  craving  of  man  as  we  catch  sight  of  him 
at  the  dawn  of  history  or  among  the  tribes  surviving  in 
primitive  condition  is  for  something  which  will  appeal 
to  his  imagination.  He  hungers  for  the  fictitious  and 
the  unreal  and  for  the  promise  of  a  happiness  after 
death  which  this  world  apparently  can  never  give.  He 
listens  to  the  story  teller,  he  constructs  intricate  super- 
stitions, he  weaves  from  natural  phenomena  a  mythol- 
ogy and  a  theology  which  suit  his  longings  and  his 
fancy,  while  his  spoken,  his  only  literature  is  poetry  and 
not  prose.  As  the  imagination  is  keenest  in  a  child,  so 
is  it  strongest  in  the  primitive  man.  Reason  comes  later 
and  dulls  imagination,  brings  it  fortunately  within 
bounds,  but  imagination  never  dies  and  it  cries  out  for 
gratification  from  the  newsboy  spelling  over  the  story 
of  crime  and  detectives  in  the  newspaper  to  the  lover 
of  poetry  borne  away  by  a  few  golden  lines  of  Sappho  to 

"The  sprinkled  isles, 
Lily  on  lily  that  o'erlace  the  sea," 

or  shivering  with  Villon  in  mediaeval  Paris  over  lost 
hopes  and  the  miseries  of  a  misspent  life. 

The  works  of  imagination,  upon  which  the  soul  de- 


124-  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

pends  and  which  .sustain  the  spiritual  life  of  man,  are 
found  in  all  the  forms  of  art  that  have  survived,  in  the 
temple  and  the  cathedral,  in  the  statue  and  the  picture. 
But  the  great  mass  of  the  treasures  of  the  imagination 
are  the  creations  of  the  poet,  the  maker  and  singer;  of 
the  dramatist  and  the  teller  of  tales,  and  these  are  all 
stored  in  books  and  are  called  literature.  A  very  large 
part  of  the  literature  of  the  world  is  composed  of  that 
which  we  have  inherited  from  Greece  and  Rome.  Mr. 
Watts-Dunton  divides  poetic  imagination  into  two 
classes;  that  of  absolute  dramatic  vision  unconditioned 
by  the  personal  or  lyrical  impulses  of  the  poet,  and  that 
of  relative  dramatic  vision  which  is  more  or  less  con- 
ditioned by  the  poet's  personal  or  lyrical  impulse.  In 
the  first  class  he  puts  Aeschylus,  Sophocles,  Shake- 
speare and  Homer,  and  gives  as  examples  of  the  second 
class  Pindar,  Dante  and  Milton;  Sappho,  Heine  and 
Shelley.  I  cite  this  passage  from  a  distinguished  critic 
merely  to  show  that  to  whatever  heights  you  ascend  in 
literature  the  Greeks  are  always  there.  Literature  is 
one  of  the  greatest  forces  in  the  world  and  always  has 
been  and  always  will  be  so.  It  comes  to  us  with  open 
hand,  offering  us  knowledge,  spiritual  inspiration,  the 
vast  world  created  by  human  imagination,  laughter  and 
tears,  happiness,  sympathy,  enjoyment,  forgetfulness. 
Over  a  large  part  of  this  spacious  kingdom  of  the  mind 
rule  Greece  and  Rome.  Are  we  to  shut  that  fair  region 
off  and  refuse  to  boys  and  girls  even  the  opportunity 
to  enter  it?  Is  it  not  wiser,  as  well  as  more  just  to 
them,  at  least  to  put  into  their  hands  the  key  which 
opens  the  gates  of  the  enchanted  garden  to  use  or  not 
later  as  they  may  see  fit? 

Even  as  I  make  the  inquiry  I  hear  the  eternal  ques- 


ADDRESSES  125 

tion  in  reply,  What  is  the  use  of  it?  What  indeed  is  the 
use  of  poetry  at  all?  If  poetry  must  have  a  use  in  order 
to  live  I  might  reply: 

"The  song  that  nerves  a  nation's  heart 
Is  in  itself  a  deed," 

and  that  the  verses  of  Rouget  de  Lisle  have  meant  more 
to  France  in  the  past  hundred  years  than  many  useful 
scientific  devices.  But  this  is  too  narrow  a  ground. 
Poetry,  the  drama,  literature  in  all  its  forms,  true  art 
of  every  kind,  cannot  be  discarded  or  belittled  unless 
you  are  prepared  to  say  that  beauty  is  useless,  that  there 
is  no  utility  or  profit  to  be  found  in  the  words  of  the 
founders  of  religions,  of  saints  or  apostles,  of  philoso- 
phers or  moralists;  in  the  marvellous  creations  of  the 
poet,  the  dramatist  or  the  tale  teller.  Such  an  attitude 
seems  incredible  and  few  people  dare  to  take  it  openly, 
although  many  whose  eyes  are  fixed  solely  on  money 
making  secretly  believe  in  it.  But  an  education  wholly 
destitute  of  literature  and  of  instruction  in  the  contents 
and  meaning  of  literature  is  of  course  no  education  at 
all.  It  could  not  really  exist  because  the  most  ordinary 
human  mind  conceivable  would  refuse  to  be  deprived  of 
all  imaginative  pleasures  and  would  teach  itself.  If 
then  we  are  to  have  literature  and  art  as  a  part  of  our 
education  it  seems  a  grave  mistake  to  exclude  from  in- 
struction the  languages  of  the  two  nations  which  have 
so  largely  contributed  to  both. 

If  we  love  knowledge  for  its  own  sake,  if  we  would 
have  scholarship  and  cultivation  and  refined  learning 
among  us  to  give  a  savor  and  a  perfume  to  life,  we  can 
hardly  omit  the  classics.  After  all  it  was  the  return  to 
the  civilization  and  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome  which 


126  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

opened  to  us  the  treasure  house  of  modern  knowledge, 
and  it  is  well  to  be  grateful  if  nothing  else.  But  I  am 
one  of  those  who  think  that  there  is  something  just  here 
which  should  ever  maintain  the  classics  among  us  when 
we  think  of  what  they  are  and  of  what  they  did  for  us 
of  the  modern  dispensation.  When  I  watch  the  at- 
tempt to  drive  Homer  and  Virgil  out  of  the  schools  and 
universities  I  can  not  but  recall  the  old,  old  story  of  the 
plant,  or  grain,  or  flower,  which  opens  the  rock  to  their 
lucky  possessor  and  discloses  the  high  piled  treasure  and 
glittering  jewels.  It  was  a  widely  diffused  tale.  It  is 
found  in  the  Bible,  in  the  Smiris;  in  the  Orient  as  the 
Schamir  or  stone  of  knowledge;  in  Latin  as  the  saxi- 
fraga,  and  in  the  Arabian  Nights  as  the  sesame  of  the 
Forty  Thieves.  In  the  Middle  Ages  the  shepherd 
strikes  the  staff,  in  which  is  the  magic  flower,  against 
the  hillside  and  the  rocks  open.  He  enters  and  finds 
the  Princess  who  bids  him  take  gold  to  his  fill.  He 
does  so  and  as  he  turns  to  go  the  Princess  says,  "For- 
get not  the  best."  She  means  his  staff.  He  merely 
takes  more  gold  and  as  he  goes  the  mountain  walls  close 
upon  him  and  crush  him.  Usually  the  charm  is  a  flower, 
a  pale  blue  flower — 

"The  blue  flower,  which  Bramins  say — 
Blooms  nowhere  but  in  Paradise," 

and  when  the  treasure-finder  turns  away,  loaded  with 
gold,  the  flower  cries, 

"Forget-me-not." 

In  the  plentitude  of  our  present  knowledge,  so  slight 
compared  to  the  vast  unknown,  so  ample  if  contrasted 
only  with  what  has  gone  before  in  our  brief  history, 
when  we  leave  the  treasure  house,  where  all  these  riches 


ADDRESSES  127 

of  the  mind  are  heaped  up  before  us,  let  us  not  forget 
the  noble  languages  to  which  we  owe  not  only  all  the 
learning  of  the  ancients  and  the  reopening  of  the  road 
which  has  brought  us  to  where  we  are  today,  but  most 
of  all  the  poetry  and  the  beauty  by  which  we  are  enabled 
to  see  visions  and  to  dream  dreams. 

Then  let  us  recall  the  words  of  another  great  poet  of 
another  race,  who  says  to  us, 

"Where  there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish." 


Ill 

STATEMENTS 


1.    PUBLIC  LIFE 

WOODROW  WILSON 

President  of  the  United  States 

We  should  have  scant  capital  to  trade  on  were  we  to 
throw  away  the  wisdom  we  have  inherited  and  seek  our 
fortunes  with  the  slender  stock  we  ourselves  have  accu- 
mulated. This,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  real,  the  prevalent 
argument  for  holding  every  man  we  can  to  the  intimate 
study  of  the  ancient  classics.  .  .  .  What  you  cannot  find 
a  substitute  for  is  the  classics  as  literature;  and  there 
can  be  no  first  hand  contact  with  that  literature  if 
you  will  not  master  the  grammar  and  the  syntax  which 
convey  its  subtle  power.  Your  enlightenment  depends 
on  the  company  you  keep.  You  do  not  know  the  world 
until  you  know  the  men  who  have  possessed  it  and  tried 
its  wares  before  you  were  ever  given  your  brief  run  upon 
it.  And  there  is  no  sanity  comparable  with  that  which 
is  schooled  in  the  thoughts  that  will  keep.  .  .  .  All  lit- 
erature that  has  lasted  has  this  claim  upon  us — that  it  is 
not  dead;  but  we  cannot  be  quite  so  sure  of  any  as  we 
are  of  the  ancient  literature  that  still  lives,  because  none 
has  lived  so  long.  It  holds  a  sort  of  primacy  in  the  aris- 
tocracy of  natural  selection. 

Published  in  "The  Practical  Value  of  Latin,"  p.  20. 

The  desire  of  all  who  in  recent  years  have  undertaken 
the  reform  of  college  studies  in  this  country  has  been  to 
find  some  plan  by  which  to  give  consistency  to  the  selec- 

131 


132  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

tion  of  studies  which  the  undergraduate  is  nowadays 
called  upon  to  make  among  the  multitude  of  courses 
and  subjects  of  modern  instruction.  That  is  the  object 
of  our  plan,  and  we  hopefully  expect  it  to  answer  its 
purpose.  Its  object  is  organization:  to  present  for  the 
use  of  the  student  an  organic  body  of  studies,  conceived 
according  to  a  definite  and  consistent  system  and  di- 
rected toward  a  single  comprehensive  aim,  namely,  the 
discipline  and  development  of  the  mind. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this,  and  because  the  students 
who  come  to  us  and  to  all  the  larger  universities  of  the 
country  come  with  the  most  various  and  unequal  prepa- 
ration, it  was  deemed  necessary  to  make  the  first,  the 
freshman  year,  a  year  altogether  of  prescribed  studies 
and  both  freshman  and  sophomore  years,  years  devoted 
to  subjects  elementary  and  fundamental  in  character; 
the  languages  ancient  and  modern,  mathematics, 
physics,  chemistry,  logic,  psychology,  history  and  the 
outlines  of  English  literature.  Every  student  is  re- 
quired to  take  mathematics,  physics,  logic,  psychology, 
a  modern  language  and  one  or  both  of  the  ancient  clas- 
sical languages,  as  well  as  some  drill  in  the  language  of 
his  own  English  tongue.  *  *  * 

And  in  choosing  the  subjects  to  be  incorporated  we 
have  found  ourselves  inclined  to  concentrate  as  much  as 
possible  on  subjects  from  which  we  knew  that  discipline 
really  was  to  be  got  in  the  schools.  Old  subjects  are, 
generally  speaking,  taught  with  more  efficiency  than 
new  subjects.  Teachers  of  the  classics  and  of  mathe- 
matics have  an  assurance  and  a  perfection  of  method  in 
every  way  more  serviceable  than  the  ways  and  means 
of  training  now  at  the  disposal  of — at  any  rate  the  ways 
and  means  of  training  now  actually  used  by — teachers 


STATEMENTS  133 

of  the  modern  languages.  The  elements  of  such  sci- 
ences as  physics  and  chemistry  are  not  taught  in  the 
schools  with  as  much  thoroughness  and  success  as  has 
been  attained  in  the  teaching  of  mathematics;  and  we 
would  rather  have  well  trained  students  than  students 
merely  versatile  and  variously  informed,  whatever  the 
means  or  the  medium  of  their  training. 

The  question  of  requiring  or  not  requiring  Greek  did 
not  detain  or  distress  us.  We  were  assured  by  exper- 
ience that  students  drilled  in  the  full  classical  training 
came  to  us  better  prepared  for  success  in  college  tasks 
than  those  who  had  studied  only  Latin  and  substituted 
a  modern  language  for  Greek ;  and  we  were  clear  in  our 
judgment  that  the  old  historical  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts,  the  only  degree  that  ever  has  been  stamped  with 
something  like  a  definite  significance,  ought  not  to  be 
wrested  to  strange  meanings,  to  the  obliteration  of  all 
definition  in  the  labels  of  graduation.  We  therefore 
retained  Greek  as  of  course  as  a  requirement  of  all 
those  who  should  enter  as  candidates  for  the  Arts  de- 
gree. 

From  Report  as  President  of  Princeton  University  on  revision  of  the 
course  of  study. 

WILLIAM  HOWARD  TAFT 

Ex-President  of  the  United  States 
President  American  Bar  Association,  1913 

I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  continuing  the  classics  in 
an  academic  education.  I  consider  that,  in  addition  to 
the  mental  discipline  which  study  of  them  affords,  they 
are  the  most  helpful  in  the  matter  of  correct  English 
style,  in  laying  sound  foundations  for  grammatical 
construction,  and  in  furnishing  a  basis  for  the  study  of 
all  modern  languages. 


134  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

I  believe  that  the  success  of  the  Continental  systems 
of  education  and  of  that  in  Great  Britain  establishes  the 
fact  that  not  only  are  the  classical  studies  important  as 
an  essential  element  in  the  best  liberal  education  along 
with  mathematics,  science,  history,  economics,  phil- 
osophy and  modern  literature,  but  that  the  result  of 
the  Continental  systems  of  education  shows  the  practi- 
cal value  of  such  classical  studies. 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Ex-President  of  the  United  States 

You  ask  me  to  say  a  word  on  behalf  of  classical 
studies  in  liberal  education.  I  gladly  do  so.  But  first 
it  is  necessary  to  discriminate  between  the  technical  or 
vocational  education  meant  to  fit  a  man  for  one  definite 
occupation,  and  the  liberal  or  cultural  education  meant 
to  give  a  man  the  power  of  high  enjoyment  and  the 
possibility  of  high  usefulness  arising  from  a  wide  knowl- 
edge of  the  life  of  the  ages  that  are  past. 

A  real  democracy  must  see  that  the  chance  for  an 
elementary  education  is  open  to  every  one.  This  is  the 
first  essential.  But  it  is  also  essential  that  there  should  be 
ample  opportunity  for  every  kind  of  higher  education. 
The  education  of  the  great  majority,  while  the  most  im- 
portant problem  in  democratic  education,  is  in  no  way 
or  shape  by  and  of  itself  sufficient.  Democracy  comes 
short  of  what  it  should  be  just  to  the  extent  that  it  fails 
to  provide  for  the  exceptional  individual,  no  matter  how 
poor  his  start  in  life,  the  highest  kind  of  exceptional 
training;  for  democracy  as  a  permanent  world  force 
must  mean  not  only  the  raising  of  the  general  level,  but 
also  the  raising  of  the  standards  of  excellence  to  which 


STATEMENTS  135 

only  exceptional  individuals  may  attain.  The  table- 
land must  be  raised,  but  the  high  peaks  must  not  be 
levelled  down ;  on  the  contrary,  they  too  must  be  raised. 
Highly  important  though  it  is  that  the  bricklayers  be 
excellent,  it  is  nevertheless  a  grave  mistake  to  suppose 
that  any  excellence  in  the  bricklayers  will  enable  us  to 
dispense  with  architects. 

In  this  country  we  have  met  better  than  in  other  coun- 
tries the  demand  for  general  popular  education,  and 
there  is  now  on  foot  a  widespread  and  most  useful  and 
important  agitation  to  better  the  practical  type  of  gen- 
eral education  by  making  it  more  practical,  by  making 
it  more  a  training  of  the  average  boy  and  girl  for  what 
that  average  boy  or  girl  must  do  in  after  life.  The 
higher  technical  schools  carry  out  the  same  purpose  on 
a  more  advanced  scale.  Law  schools,  medical  schools, 
agricultural  institutes,  engineering  schools  and  all  simi- 
lar schools  for  technical  training  are  being  improved 
and  are  increasing  in  numbers,  and  provision  is  made 
in  universities  in  various  ways  for  the  development  of 
this  training  for  practical  life.  This  type  of  education 
has  a  value  which  is  so  essentially  commercial  that  in 
the  majority  of  cases  this  value  can  be  measured  by  the 
income  which  it  secures.  Such  an  education  is  undoubt- 
edly the  type  which  is  most  important  for  the  average 
man;  and  therefore  in  a  high  degree  for  the  country. 
It  is  also  that  which  is  usually  most  attractive  to  the 
average  man  and  to  the  public.  In  consequence,  the 
general  feeling  tends  to  be,  not  only  that  this  kind  of 
education  is  most  important  for  the  majority — which  is 
true;  but  that  no  other  kind  of  education  is  very  im- 
portant for  anybody — which  is  false.  I  quite  agree 
that  it  is  a  waste  of  time  to  force  the  average  boy  to 


136  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

acquire  a  smattering  of  classicism.  The  anti-classicists 
are  right  in  fighting  this  sort  of  compulsion.  But  they 
will  do  infinite  damage  if  they  destroy  the  opportuni- 
ties and  the  inspiration  for  classical  study  in  school  and 
college. 

Your  conference  is  called  under  the  joint  action  of 
the  classical  and  archaeological  departments,  with  ad- 
visors from  the  other  departments  also.  You  empha- 
size the  importance  of  classical  studies,  not  in  the  least 
as  all-sufficient  in  themselves,  but  as  forming  an  essen- 
tial element,  yet  only  one  element,  in  the  field  of  inter- 
est which  includes  physical  science,  history,  philosophy, 
modern  literature  and  many  other  subjects — but  all 
studied  from  the  cultural,  and  not  the  technical  or  com- 
mercial standpoint.  You  are  entirely  right.  Nothing 
makes  a  man  more  interesting  to  himself  or  to  others 
than  that  wide  knowledge  of  men  and  life,  that  wide 
knowledge  of  the  globe  and  of  man's  past  and  present 
on  the  globe,  which  is  given  by  a  liberal  or  cultural  edu- 
cation in  which  the  study  of  classical  literature  is  an  es- 
sential element.  Such  study  is  itself  a  powerful  incen- 
tive toward  a  general  knowledge  of  literary,  social  and 
political  history.  Moreover,  while  an  education  of  this 
kind  is  not  primarily  utilitarian  (using  the  word  "utili- 
tarian" in  its  usual  significance)  it  often,  as  a  by-pro- 
duct, serves  utilitarian  ends  of  capital  importance  to 
men  of  large  interests,  especially  the  interests  of  state- 
craft; while  familiarity  with  poetical  and  imaginative 
literature,  both  English  and  classical,  is  of  high  value 
to  every  man  who  works  in  any  field  where  it  is  de- 
sirable to  express  high  thinking  in  language  which  is 
clear,  simple  and  lofty. 

However,  we  must  frankly  face  the  fact  that  this 


STATEMENTS  137 

cultural  type  of  education  stands  entirely  distinct  and 
apart  from  the  type  which  equips  a  man  for  a  given 
trade  or  profession  and  thus  usually  ensures  a  money 
return,  and  which,  necessarily  and  properly,  is  the  popu- 
lar and  ordinary  type.  Cultural  training — a  liberal 
education,  an  education  in  "the  humanities,"  to  use  an 
old  term — must  be  taken  simply  for  the  sake  of  knowl- 
edge and  character,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  common- 
wealth. It  aids  in  giving  to  the  commonwealth  the  in- 
calculable benefits  of  men  trained  in  literature,  art  and 
non-commercial  science;  and  it  is  also  an  aid  to  the 
highest  kind  of  statesmanship. 

This  does  not  mean  either  the  elimination  of  the 
specialist  or  the  mere  return  to  the  college  course  of 
fifty  years  ago.  Most  certainly  cultural  education  ought 
to  provide  for  the  specialist,  especially  of  the  higher 
type;  for  the  scientific  man  whose  researches  have  no 
more  immediate  money  value  than  had  the  researches  of 
the  Alexandrian  and  Syracusan  mathematicians  who 
twenty-two  centuries  ago  laid  the  foundations  of 
geometry;  for  the  professor  of  Celtic  or  Finnish  or 
Sclavonic  literature  who  can  never  expect  that  even  a 
handful  of  pupils  will  enjoy  in  the  original  the  Cuchu- 
lain  story,  or  the  Kalevala,  or  the  love  songs  of  the 
Ukraine.  No  community  can  develop  a  great  and  many 
sided  civilization  unless  there  is  an  ample  base  of  non- 
remunerative  work. 

A  cultural  education  must  include  the  classics.  It 
must  not  be  based  only  on  the  classics.  The  Greek  lit- 
erature is  one  of  the  two  noblest  literatures  in  the  world, 
the  other  being  the  English.  Latin  literature  as  such 
does  not  stand  in  the  same  rank  with  Greek;  but  it  pos- 
sesses an  immense  importance  because  the  Latin  civili- 


138  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

zation  is  the  direct  ancestor  of  modern  Occidental  civili- 
zation, and  because  the  Latin  tongue  was  for  fifteen 
centuries  the  cultural  tongue  of  Europe.  With  one  or 
the  other,  and  if  possible  with  both,  of  these  two  classic 
languages  and  literatures  every  liberally  educated  man 
should  be  familiar.  He  should  also  be  familiar  with  at 
least  one  of  the  great  modern  culture  languages,  such 
as  French,  Italian,  German,  Spanish  or  Portuguese, 
each  of  which  has  a  noble  literature.  Every  liberal 
course  should  also  include  a  wide  sweep  of  general  his- 
tory and  pre-history,  for  a  liberal  scholar  should  cer- 
tainly have  vividly  in  mind  the  tremendous  drama  of 
man's  progress  through  the  ages.  A  competent  knowl- 
edge of  science  must  also  be  part  of  any  really  liberal 
education.  But  this  does  not  mean  the  science  taught  in 
order  to  turn  out  a  commercial  chemist,  an  engineer  or 
an  electrician.  It  means  that  the  man  of  liberal  educa- 
tion should  be  a  man  who  in  addition  to  a  broad  classi- 
cal training  also  possesses  so  broad  a  scientific  training 
that  the  primary  facts  of  the  universe  in  which  we  live 
are  vivid  in  his  mind  and  form  an  integral  portion  of  his 
stock  of  knowledge.  The  man  with  such  broad  liberal 
training  is  perhaps  not  apt  to  be  a  technical  expert  in 
any  special  vocation ;  for  his  training  stands  outside  the 
most  direct  line  to  pecuniary  reward.  Yet  he  has  a 
great  place  to  fill,  for  he  has  been  fitted  to  become  a 
leader  in  public  thought,  and  a  true  interpreter  to  the 
people  of  the  development  and  meaning  of  our  civili- 
zation in  its  most  important  aspects. 

Of  course  all  this  does  not  mean  failure  to  recognize 
the  prime  importance  of  vocational  or  trade  training 
for  the  great  majority.  Technical  education  is  essen- 
tial to  the  work  of  the  world.  The  vast  development  of 


STATEMENTS  139 

education  along  technical  lines  meets  an  urgent  public 
need.  But  there  are  other  needs  also.  "Man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone."  Certain  institutions  of  higher 
learning  ought  to  devote  their  attention  to  satisfying 
these  other  needs.  It  will  be  for  the  general  welfare. 
In  no  other  country  is  it  so  necessary  as  in  ours  to  pro- 
vide fully,  for  those  who  have  the  chance  and  desire  to 
take  it,  broad  and  high  liberal  education,  in  which  one 
essential  element  shall  be  classical  training. 

GROVER  CLEVELAND 

Former  President  of  the  United  States 

Grover  Cleveland  was  educated  in  the  Academy  at 
Clinton,  New  York,  taking  the  classical  course  in  prep- 
aration for  Hamilton  College,  but  was  obliged  to  leave 
before  entering  college,  in  order  to  help  in  supporting 
his  mother  and  sisters.  Consequently  his  classical  train- 
ing was  limited  to  his  school  course  of  study.  After 
leaving  the  Presidency  in  1897,  the  remaining  eleven 
years  of  his  life  were  passed  in  Princeton,  and  for  the 
last  seven  years  of  his  life  he  served  as  Trustee  of 
Princeton  University.  He  was  unwavering  in  his  belief 
in  the  indispensable  value  of  classical  studies,  and  held 
that  any  attempt  to  weaken  their  influence  or  failure 
to  maintain  them  as  essential  studies  in  the  college 
course  would  be  a  violation  of  the  terms  of  Princeton's 
Charter,  which  defines  the  purpose  of  the  institution  as 
the  "Education  of  Youth  in  the  learned  Languages  and 
in  the  liberal  Arts  and  Sciences." 

He  recalled  with  satisfaction  the  clear  thought  and 
style  of  the  old  writers  in  "The  Federalist,"  attributing 
their  skill  in  expression  to  familiarity  with  the  classics 


140  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

and  the  English  Bible.  During  the  revision  of  the  cur- 
riculum in  1904  he  took  a  firm  position  in  favor  of  re- 
quiring school  and  college  Latin  for  all  bachelor's  de- 
grees in  the  liberal  arts,  and  Greek  and  Latin  for  the 
historic  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree.  He  often  talked  over 
these  matters  with  me,  discussing  the  arguments  on  both 
sides.  His  general  attitude  on  college  studies,  based  on 
his  fixed  belief  in  discipline  and  training,  is  well  re- 
vealed in  the  following  passage  from  his  address  de- 
livered in  behalf  of  the  Trustees  of  the  University  in 
October,  1902,  on  the  occasion  of  President  Wilson's 
inauguration : 

"While  therefore,  as  has  been  already  intimated, 
Princeton  will  not  be  left  behind  in  any  real  and  effec- 
tive educational  advance  that  falls  within  the  limitations 
of  her  mission,  and  while  she  will  promptly  avail  herself 
of  opportunities  which  more  completely  fill  the  scope 
and  area  of  her  instructional  responsibilities,  all  will  be 
done  solely  to  the  end  that  she  may,  with  the  best  effect, 
teach  the  learned  languages,  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences 
and  religious  truth.  We  do  not  give  to  these  words  a 
narrow  and  too  literal  meaning;  but  we  hold  that  when 
broadly  and  fairly  interpreted,  they  not  only  fix  the  di- 
rection and  quality  of  Princeton's  chartered  endeavor, 
but  also  define  a  service  serious  enough  and  comprehen- 
sive enough  to  engage  always,  and  in  all  circumstances, 
the  highest  and  best  university  work. 

"If  new  born  impatience  should  ever  demand  a  swifter 
educational  current  and  be  content  with  its  shallower 
depth,  and  if  the  solid  and  substantial  acquirement  we 
offer  should  ever  be  discredited  as  unnecessarily  irk- 
some, Princeton  will  remember  that  men  educated  long 
ago  in  accordance  with  her  methods  are  still  teachers  of 


STATEMENTS  141 

the  present  generation;  and  that  the  lives  they  led,  the 
students  they  fitted  for  instructors,  and  the  records  they 
left  of  their  wisdom,  are  to  this  day  dutifully  acknowl- 
edged as  undiminished  forces  in  higher  education, 
wherever  it  has  a  standing  place.  We  will  not  be  con- 
vinced that  the  human  mind  has  in  these  latter  days  be- 
come so  fundamentally  enlarged  that  a  broad  and  use- 
ful education  can  by  some  pleasant  process  be  easily 
gained,  nor  that  the  acuteness  of  the  human  intellect  has 
so  kept  pace  with  the  eager  hurry  of  the  time  that  with 
no  toil  or  patient  wooing  an  education  worth  having  can 
be  bought  or  seized  and  forced  to  do  service  in  a  vain- 
glorious and  trifling  pretence  of  erudition.  If  false 
educational  notions  should  prevail,  Princeton  will  bide 
her  time  until  they  are  spent,  and  until  saner  judgment 
shall  recognize  her  conscientious  obedience  to  the  de- 
mands of  her  charter  compact." 

Statement  of  Dean  Andrew  F.  West,  Princeton  University. 


ROBERT  LANSING 

Secretary  of  State 

I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  say  a  word  in  behalf 
of  the  continuance  of  classical  studies  in  our  colleges  and 
universities  because  I  firmly  believe  that  that  particular 
branch  of  learning  has  been  a  most  potential  influence 
in  the  intellectual  development  of  modern  society. 

There  is  a  prevalent  tendency  at  the  present  time  to 
exalt  the  study  of  those  branches  of  knowledge  which 
pertain  to  physical  life.  It  is  a  tendency  which  mani- 
fests the  materialistic  spirit  of  the  age  and  finds  its  ex- 
pression in  the  words  "specialization,"  "utility,"  "effi- 


VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

ciency."  I  feel  that  this  spirit  is  assuming  alarming  pro- 
portions and  is  becoming  a  very  real  menace  to  culture 
which  develops  the  nobler  qualities  in  man  and  raises 
him  above  the  sordid  things  of  life. 

It  is  better  to  possess  a  mind  trained  and  able  to  think 
in  terms  other  than  material  accomplishment.  It  is 
finer  to  measure  life  by  ideals  than  it  is  by  accumulated 
wealth. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  study  of  the  classics  furnishes 
a  man  with  mental  processes  which  he  cannot  otherwise 
acquire,  that  it  elevates  him  above  the  materialistic  and 
gives  him  a  loftier  conception  of  the  realities.  Exper- 
ience has  proven  that  acquaintance  with  classical  thought 
perfects  the  intellect  and  makes  it  able  to  enter  the 
other  fields  of  knowledge  with  keener  perception  of  the 
things  which  make  life  worth  the  living. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  the  extension  of  classical  studies 
in  our  institutions  of  higher  learning  should  be  gener- 
ally encouraged.  They  are  worth  all  the  time  and  labor 
which  can  be  given  to  them,  because  from  them  spring 
taste  and  refinement,  the  power  and  desire  to  enjoy  the 
better  things.  These  are  characteristics  of  culture,  and 
culture  ought  to  be  the  chief  end  of  a  college  or  uni- 
versity education. 

ELIHU  ROOT 

Chairman  of  War  Commission  to  Russia 

Former  Secretary  of  State 

President  of  the  American  Society  of  International  Law 
President  American  Bar  Association,   1915 

I  am  a  firm  believer  in  the  value  of  studying  Greek 
and  Latin.  Although  in  after  life  one  may  forget  much 
that  he  has  learned,  he  can  never  lose  the  influence  upon 


STATEMENTS  143 

his  character.  Even  a  slight  appreciation  of  those 
wonderful  races  from  whom  so  much  of  our  civilization 
has  come,  gained  by  studying  intently  the  very  words 
they  spoke  and  wrote,  tends  to  broaden  the  student's 
vision  and  enlarge  his  understanding  of  life. 

JOHN  W.  FOSTER 

Former  Secretary  of  State 

Minister  to   Mexico,    1873-1880 

Minister    to    Russia,    1880-1881 

Minister    to    Spain,    1883-1885 

Member  Anglo-Canadian  Commission,  1898 

Representative  of  China  at  Second  Hague  Conference,  1907 

My  experience  in  the  practice  of  law  and  my  observa- 
tion of  public  affairs  have  led  me  to  look  with  regret 
upon  the  diminishing  interest  in  our  higher  institutions 
of  learning  in  the  study  of  the  ancient  classics.  The 
modern  university  spirit  seems  to  tend  to  the  elective 
system  and  to  study  in  the  scientific  and  more  practical 
departments  of  knowledge.  I  doubt  very  much  whether 
it  is  wisest  to  leave  entirely  to  the  immature  youth  the 
selection  of  his  course  of  study.  So  also  it  may  be  bet- 
ter to  train  and  develop  the  mind  in  the  earlier  years 
than  to  store  it  with  knowledge,  which  may  well  come 
later.  If  the  university  is  to  maintain  its  proper  place 
as  the  seat  of  higher  learning,  Greek  and  Latin  should 
not  be  relegated  to  an  unimportant  place  in  the  curricu- 
lum, nor  their  study  discouraged. 

History  tells  us  of  the  unequalled  refinement  of  the 
Greek  race  in  the  days  of  Pericles.  Only  a  few  doubt- 
ful and  imperfect  specimens  of  the  chisel  of  Phidias  and 
his  school  remain,  and  the  skill  of  Apelles'  brush  is  en- 
tirely lost  to  us ;  but  the  highest  evidence  of  the  art,  re- 
finement and  thought  of  that  golden  age  has  come 


144  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

down  to  us  unimpaired  in  the  Greek  language,  the  most 
perfect  achievement  of  the  human  race.  No  better 
training  for  the  youthful  mind  can  be  devised  than  the 
study  of  this  language  and  the  mastery  of  the  high  and 
polished  thoughts  which  it  has  preserved.  It  matters 
not  if  in  the  resistless  hurry  of  our  practical  age  the 
Greek  which  we  acquired  in  our  youth  passes  from  our 
memory;  its  influence  on  the  mind  will  never  be  ob- 
literated. 

Even  the  advocates  of  the  elective  curriculum  which 
requires  no  Greek  or  Latin  admit  that  the  study  of 
those  languages  in  the  writings  of  their  philosophers, 
poets  and  historians  tends  to  produce  the  most  cultivated 
minds  and  the  highest  style  of  composition  and  expres- 
sion. 

I  earnestly  hope  that  your  conference  will  awaken  a 
new  interest  in  these  languages,  and  that  there  may  be 
a  restoration  in  our  universities  and  colleges  of  the  con- 
dition of  things  when  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
meant  classical  education. 

GEORGE  W.  WICKERSHAM 

Former  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States 
Chairman  Judiciary  Committee  New  York  Constitutional  Convention,  1915 

I  perhaps  look  at  the  subject  from  a  more  impartial 
standpoint  than  many,  because  my  own  education  did 
not  include  a  study  of  the  classics,  and  I  have  always 
greatly  regretted  that  I  gave  time  to  modern  languages 
and  history  to  the  exclusion  of  all  classical  study.  For 
I  regard  an  education  which  does  not  include  a  knowl- 
edge of  Greek  and  Latin  history  and  literature  as  de- 
fective, and  certainly  that  knowledge  obtained  through 


STATEMENTS  145 

the  medium  of  translations  must  be  less  accurate  than 
from  original  sources.  The  history,  the  philosophy  and 
the  literature  of  the  two  greatest  nations  in  our  spiritual 
ancestry  may  not  be  neglected  without  immeasurable 
loss. 


HERBERT  HOOVER 

Head  of  American  Relief  Commission  to  Belgium 
Food  Administrator  of  the  United  States 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  value  of  classical  studies 
is  seriously  underestimated  today.  The  usefulness  of 
Latin  and  Greek  half  learned  and  soon  abandoned  is 
another  matter.  Wholly  outside  of  their  acknowledged 
literature  value,  classical  studies  cultivate  the  power  of 
expression  and  a  discriminating  use  of  words  essential 
to  clearness  of  thinking. 

VISCOUNT  BRYCE 

Former  Ambassador  from  Great  Britain  to  the  United  States 

I  do  not  say  that  the  classics  will  make  a  dull  man 
bright,  nor  that  the  man  ignorant  of  them  may  not  dis- 
play the  highest  literary  or  the  highest  practical  gifts, 
as  indeed  many  have  done.  Natural  genius  can  overleap 
all  deficiencies  of  training.  But  a  mastery  of  the  liter- 
ature and  the  history  of  the  ancient  world  makes  every- 
one fitter  to  excel  than  he  would  have  been  without  it, 
for  it  widens  the  horizon,  it  sets  standards  unlike  our 
own,  it  sharpens  the  edge  of  critical  discrimination,  it 
suggests  new  lines  of  constructive  thought.  Let  no  one 
be  afraid  of  the  name,  "dead  languages."  No  language 
is  dead  which  perfectly  conveys  thoughts  that  are  alive 
and  are  as  full  of  energy  now  as  they  ever  were.  An 


146  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

idea  or  a  feeling  grandly  expressed  lives  forever,  and 
gives  immortality  to  the  words  that  enshrine  it. 

For  the  cable  message  of  Viscount  Bryce  see  page  41. 


LORD  CROMER 

Former  Viceroy  of  India 
Late  Agent  and  Consul  General  in  Egypt 

Although  a  soldier  and  a  man  of  affairs,  he  was  a 
writer  of  first  rate  ability.  This  is  demonstrated  by  other 
writings  besides  his  "Modern  Egypt."  Only  a  few 
years  ago,  after  his  retirement  and  when  he  was  living 
in  England,  he  published  a  volume  entitled  "Political 
and  Literary  Essays"  which  makes  delightful  reading. 
In  this  book  he  touches  on  biography,  history,  the  class- 
ics, and  problems  of  education,  as  well  as  current  politi- 
cal questions.  In  1903  he  published  a  volume  of  para- 
phrases and  translations  from  the  Greek.  But  he  was 
very  far  from  being  a  pedant  or  academician.  Those 
American  educators  who  are  sincerely  afraid  that  mili- 
tary training  and  discipline  may  destroy  our  love  of  art 
and  literature  will  be  considerably  cheered  if  they  will 
take  the  trouble  to  read  two  or  three  of  Lord  Cromer's 
books.  And  those  who  oppose  the  study  of  Latin  and 
Greek  classics  on  the  ground  that,  being  dead  languages, 
they  make  a  man  dead  to  the  currents  of  modern  life, 
will  find  in  the  career  of  Lord  Cromer  a  man  who  could 
read  the  Greek  poets,  draw  up  a  financial  budget  for 
Egypt,  decide  a  lawsuit  between  two  peasants  with  the 
tactful  judgment  of  Solomon,  and,  if  necessary,  com- 
mand an  army. 

Extract   from  article  on  the  death  of  Lord  Cromer,  by  Lawrence  F. 
Abbott,  in  the  "Outlook"  for  February  7,  1917. 


STATEMENTS  147 

HENRY  CABOT  LODGE 

United  States  Senator  from  Massachusetts 
For  Senator  Lodge's  address  see  page  97. 

GEORGE  FRISBIE  HOAB 

Formerly  United  States  Senator  from  Massachusetts 

Of  one  thing  I  feel  very  confident.  That  is,  the  men 
whom  I  have  known  at  the  bar,  in  public  life  and  in  the 
pulpit,  who  have  been  good  Latin  or  Greek  scholars, 
and  who  have  kept  up  the  love  and  study  of  either  lan- 
guage through  life,  especially  those  who  have  been  lov- 
ers of  Greek,  have  shown  great  superiority  in  the  mat- 
ter of  effective  public  speaking. 

WILLARD  SAULSBURY 

United  States  Senator  from  Delaware 

In  my  judgment  a  fair  knowledge  of  Latin  is  indis- 
pensable to  any  one  who  intends  to  follow  a  professional 
life. 

CHAMP  CLARK 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives 

I  think  Latin  is  a  great  educator  and  am  strongly 
in  favor  of  its  study.  .  .  .  My  reasons  for  thinking 
that  Latin  is  a  good  means  of  education  are:  (1)  it  is 
one  of  the  best  mental  drills  possible;  (2)  there  are  so 
many  English  words  derived  from  Latin  that  it  is  of 
inestimable  value  in  tracing  the  meaning  of  words  and 
enlarging  the  vocabulary;  (3)  the  foundations  of  the 
French,  Spanish  and  Portuguese  languages  rest  on 
Latin. 


148  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

A.  MITCHELL  PALMER 

Former  Member  of  Congress  from  Pennsylvania 

I  believe  that  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek  has  been 
of  much  practical  value  to  me  in  my  professional  work. 
I  am  bound  to  say  that  this  is  somewhat  more  true  of 
Latin  than  Greek,  for  the  reason  that  so  much  of  our  law 
comes  from  the  Roman  times  and  so  many  of  our  legal 
maxims  are  phrased  in  the  Latin  language  that  to  a 
lawyer  a  knowledge  of  Latin  is  peculiarly  important  and 
helpful.  Greek  has  been  of  more  value  to  me  by  reason 
of  the  training  it  gave  me  in  a  proper  interpretation  of 
words  and  phrases  than  in  the  practical  use  of  the  lan- 
guage itself.  Of  course  this  can  be  said  of  the  study  of 
any  language,  but  the  Latin  and  Greek  are  such  accu- 
rate languages,  capable  of  such  precision  of  statement, 
that  their  study  teaches  men  who  must  be  accurate  in 
statement  methods  which  they  might  otherwise  fail  to 
learn. 

SAMUEL  W.  McCALL 

Governor  of  Massachusetts 

I  compliment  you  upon  the  movement  you  have  un- 
dertaken, for  the  time  has  indeed  come  for  urging  the 
revival  of  classical  studies  when  so  many  of  our  colleges 
seem  to  be  yielding  to  the  notion  that  it  is  the  main  end 
of  education  to  make  a  man  a  merely  efficient  creature 
fitted  to  do  battle  with  the  obstacles  of  nature  and  to 
produce  with  increasing  rapidity  the  things  he  needs  or 
desires  to  consume.  Under  any  trade  or  calling  there 
should  be  a  sound  basis  of  culture  or  otherwise  the  man 
may  be  made  subordinate  to  the  thing  he  does,  and  we 
are  likely  to  see  him  as  we  now  do  turning  upon  him- 


STATEMENTS  149 

self  the  forces  of  destruction  and  employing  them  to 
blow  up  civilization.  That  basis  of  culture  it  is  the 
prime  function  of  our  colleges  to  give.  The  languages 
of  Greece  and  Rome  form  the  best  linguistic  models. 
The  diligent  study  of  them  and  of  the  masterpieces  of 
literature  which  have  caused  them  to  live  so  many  cen- 
turies is  the  choicest  instrumentality  of  intellectual  cul- 
ture. It  refreshes  and  sweetens  the  spirit  and  culti- 
vates the  love  of  letters  and  the  literary  art  wihch  is  the 
foremost  of  all  the  arts.  To  the  extent  to  which  our 
colleges  shall  withdraw  from  the  field  of  liberal  studies 
and  become  mere  teachers  of  trades  and  callings,  to 
that  extent  will  they  abdicate  the  high  function  they 
have  been  created  to  exercise. 

M.  G.  BRUMBAUGH 

Governor  of  Pennsylvania 

The  history  of  education  shows  no  more  abiding  and 
essential  element  in  the  training  of  a  people  than  the 
study  of  the  humanities. 

JOHN  M.  ESHLEMAN 

Former  Lieutenant-Governor  of  California 

I  took  a  full  classical  course  in  the  university,  and  I 
am  very  strongly  inclined  toward  classical  training.  I 
believe  the  tendency  is  too  strongly  toward  utility  train- 
ing, and  I  very  much  regret  to  observe  that  some  of  our 
eminent  educators  seem  inclined  to  forget  the  value  of 
the  classics  and  training  for  training's  sake.  It  is  use- 
less, in  my  opinion,  to  attempt  to  train  for  the  emer- 
gency. All  that  can  be  done  is  to  guide  the  student 
properly  along  broad  general  lines  to  the  end  that  when 


150  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

the  emergency  arises  his  general  information  or  his  gen- 
eral training  will  enable  him  to  meet  it. 
i 

SEYMOUR  VAN  SANTVOORD 

Public  Service  Commission,  State  of  New  York 

After  a  somewhat  varied,  extremely  happy  and  not 
altogether  unsuccessful  life  as  lawyer,  farmer,  manufac- 
turer and  banker,  I  declare  unreservedly  that  not  only 
has  my  smattering  of  the  classics  proved — to  borrow  the 
Sunday  school  boy's  characterization  of  a  lie — "an  ever 
present  help  in  time  of  trouble,"  but  that  under  obser- 
vation, experience  and  reflection  my  respect  for  and 
confidence  in  academic  education  have  steadily  in- 
creased. I  would  like  to  be  enrolled  in  any  concerted 
movement  to  oppose  extension  beyond  the  bare  experi- 
mental stage  of  the  proposed  new  system  of  teaching. 

2.    BUSINESS 

FAIRFAX  HARRISON 

Chairman  Committee  on  National  Defence  of  American  Railway 

Association 
President  of  the  Southern  Railway 

There  is  another  claim  for  study  of  the  classics  upon 
which  I  never  lose  an  opportunity  to  insist,  and  that  is 
its  magisterial  position  in  any  scheme  of  education  for 
leadership,  a  kind  of  education  which  there  is  danger 
may  be  neglected  in  the  social  democracy  to  which  we 
are  tending.  .  .  .  The  sane  mind  which  has  felt  the  stir- 
ring of  the  classical  spirit,  which  has  known  the  peace 
which  passeth  all  understanding  and  knows  that  some 
of  it  is  due  to  contact  with  the  influence  of  Hellas,  can 
not  but  pray  that  that  influence  shall  not  die. 

For  President  Harrison's  telegram  see  page  79. 


STATEMENTS  151 

HOWARD  ELLIOTT 

Former  President  New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford  Railway 
New  York  City 

I  believe  that  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek,  as  a 
training  for  the  mind,  is  of  great  value,  and  that  such 
study  helps  a  man,  no  matter  what  his  after  life  is,  and 
also  helps  him  by  encouraging  him  to  appreciate  better 
good  literature  and  good  reading. 

T.  C.  POWELL 

Vice-President  Queen  and  Crescent  Railroad,  Cincinnati 

We  are  living  in  an  age  of  specialists  and  it  some- 
times appears  as  though  accuracy  is  regarded  as  a 
special  course  and  that  only  those  who  intend  to  devote 
their  business  or  professional  life  to  accurate  mathe- 
matical and  chemical  calculations  are  justified  in  paying 
much  attention  to  accuracy. 

But  when  you  realize  that  when  a  boy  has  been  taught 
in  the  public  schools  and  goes  into  the  business  world 
the  first  course  through  which  he  is  put  is  one  which  is 
intended  to  impress  upon  him  the  necessity  for  accuracy, 
you  will  appreciate  that  this  is  one  of  the  crying  needs 
of  the  present  system  of  education. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  vote  in  favor  of  classics  and 
mathematics  and  for  history  and  geography.  These 
studies  are  more  likely  to  insure  accuracy  than  a  slight 
knowledge  of  a  great  many  subjects. 

MAX  THELEN 

President  State  Railroad  Commission   of  California 

The  value  which  any  man  derives  from  the  study  of 
a  certain  subject  is  largely  a  matter  personal  to  him.  I 


152  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

regard  the  chief  value  to  be  derived  from  the  study  of 
any  subject,  whether  it  be  Latin,  or  engineering,  or  law, 
to  be  the  strength  and  power  which  the  student  derives 
from  the  mastery  of  facts  and  the  ability  to  use  them. 
The  training  which  a  man  receives  in  one  subject  always 
enables  him  to  master  more  efficiently  the  facts  of  an- 
other subject. 

I  regard  Latin  as  one  of  the  very  best  subjects  in 
which  to  receive  training,  and  for  that  reason,  if  I  had 
my  college  course  to  do  over  again,  I  should  include,  as 
before,  three  years  of  Latin  in  addition  to  the  four-year 
high  school  course. 

JAMES  P.  MUNROE 


The  old  education  with  its  Latin  grammar,  and  more 
Latin  grammar  and  still  more  Latin  grammar,  pro- 
duced a  hard  headed,  hard  fisted,  hard  hearted  race,  but 
it  was,  in  the  main,  a  race  sound  physically,  mentally 
and  morally.  Many  of  the  new  methods  of  gentle  coo- 
ing toward  the  child's  inclinations,  of  timidly  placing 
a  chair  for  him  before  a  disordered  banquet  of  hetero- 
geneous studies,  may  produce  ladylike  persons,  but  they 
will  not  produce  men. 

ALBA  B.  JOHNSON 

President  of  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works,  Philadelphia 
For  President  Johnson's  address  see  page  75. 

WILLIAM  SLOANE 

President  of  W.  and  J.  Sloane,  New  York  City 

I  believe  that  the  slow  processes  of  translation  of  the 
classics  (which  in  my  opinion  should  be  compulsory  in 


STATEMENTS  153 

the  academic  course  for  a  B.A.  degree)  make  good 
training  for  the  boy  who  has  chosen  a  business  career. 
The  business  man's  day  is  prosaic,  the  men  he  meets  are 
as  a  rule  men  of  little  or  no  schooling.  The  business 
principles  he  finds  are  not  always  in  accord  with  his 
preconceived  ideas  of  honesty;  there  isn't  much  art  or 
poetry  in  it  all;  and,  unless  he  has  something  to  fall 
back  upon,  some  background  to  his  life  and  thought, 
some  such  continual  source  of  quiet  comfort  and  plea- 
sure as  a  classical  education  will  afford  him,  life  will  be 
a  very  empty  thing. 

HENRY  R.  TOWNE 

Yale  and  Towne  Manufacturing  Company,  New  York  City 

I  was  fortunate  during  my  school  days  in  being  well 
drilled  in  Latin  and  Greek  (at  one  time  under  the  tutor- 
ship of  the  late  Dr.  Howard  Horace  Furness,  then  just 
graduated  from  Harvard),  and  during  all  my  life  I 
have  appreciated  the  benefit  of  this  training  because  of 
the  better  understanding  it  has  given  me  of  the  origin 
of  our  own  language,  and  the  correct  use  of  words,  and 
also  because  of  its  aid  in  the  study  of  other  languages. 
I  think  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  eliminate  the 
study  of  the  classics  entirely  from  our  schools  and  col- 
leges. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  would  strongly  advise  a  reform 
in  the  method  of  teaching  Latin  and  Greek  except  to 
very  advanced  students.  I  would  largely  omit  the 
memorizing  of  rules  of  grammar,  declension  of  verbs, 
etc.,  and  substitute  therefor  the  methods  now  employed 
in  teaching  modern  languages  to  beginners.  This  im- 
plies chiefly  an  understanding  of  the  theory  of  the  Ian- 


154  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

guage,  the  mode  of  constructing  sentences,  and  the  ac- 
quisition of  familiarity  with  a  large  vocabulary  of  the 
words  of  greatest  use,  or  of  closest  connection  with  our 
own  language.  Thus  simplified  I  believe  that  the  study 
would  be  made  far  more  interesting  than  now  to  young 
students,  and  would  not  require  more  of  their  time  than 
could  fairly  be  appropriated. 

RICHARD  H.  EDMONDS 

Editor  of  the  Manufacturer's  Record,  Baltimore 

As  it  was  never  my  privilege  to  be  a  college  student, 
I  am  unable  to  write  you  as  to  the  value  of  classical 
studies.  I  might,  however,  if  time  permitted,  write  you 
as  to  the  disadvantage  of  having  been  deprived  of  clas- 
sical studies. 

W.  S.  LAYFIELD 

Atlas  Powder  Company,  Wilmington,  Del. 

I  consider  the  possession  of  a  knowledge  of  Latin  and 
Greek  an  accomplishment  and  an  essential  part  of  a 
good  education  aside  entirely  from  the  fact  that  in  cer- 
tain professions  such  knowledge  is  absolutely  necessary. 

MORRIS  WHITRIDGE 

Baltimore 

I  am  a  business  man,  but  my  classics  has  been  a  help 
to  me  from  an  aesthetic  point  of  view,  while  my  mathe- 
matics trained  my  mind  and  makes  me  decide  accur- 
ately when  a  prompt  decision  is  necessary  in  these  days 
of  high  tension  in  business.  I  am  a  strong  believer  in 
Greek,  Latin,  mathematics  and  the  old  fashioned 
method  of  education.  We  have  too  many  frills  these 
days. 


STATEMENTS  155 

HENRY  L.  HIGGINSON 

Boston 

Any  knowledge  of  the  ancient  languages,  called 
"dead,"  is  good.  French  and  English  are  built,  as  it 
were,  on  Latin.  By  knowing  Latin,  one  knows  almost 
by  instinct  what  a  word  means,  when  it  appears  in  an- 
other language. 

CLAEENCE  H.  KELSEY 

President  of  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust  Co.,  New  York  City 

I  am  glad  to  give  you  my  view  about  the  importance 
of  retaining  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek  as  a  part  of 
the  requirements  for  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in 
our  college  courses. 

I  am  not  in  sympathy  with  the  elimination  of  these 
studies  and  replacing  them  with  modern  languages  or 
other  substitutes.  The  study  of  Greek,  particularly,  I 
consider  as  fine  mental  training  as  is  to  be  had.  Of 
course,  on  the  theory  that  one  wishes  to  find  himself 
using  in  every  day  work  through  life  all  that  he  has 
studied  in  college,  Latin  and  Greek,  perhaps,  do  not 
seem  to  answer  the  purpose ;  but  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
nonsense  about  this  theory,  and  my  own  experience  is 
that  one  is  directly  conscious  of  using  in  daily  life  very 
little  of  what  he  studied  in  college.  What  he  should 
aim  at  is  the  most  thorough  and  accurate  mental  disci- 
pline that  will  train  him  to  meet  and  solve  all  sorts  of 
problems  in  which  he  can  use  neither  the  classics,  nor 
the  modern  languages,  nor  yet  his  mathematics  or  sci- 
ences, but  only  the  capacity  which  study  of  them  all 
gives  him  to  meet  the  requirements  of  active  life. 

I  feel  very  strongly  that  the  substitution  of  things 


156  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

that  are  easy  and  that  come  naturally  to  a  boy,  and  per- 
mitting him  to  do  only  the  things  he  likes,  are  failing  to 
educate  him  as  he  should  be  educated.  The  modern  col- 
lege graduate  seems  to  me  to  have  drifted  far  from  the 
liberally  educated  man  as  he  was  defined  fifty  years  ago. 
Very  few  of  them  seem  fond  of  reading,  seem  trained  to 
take  responsibility  or  to  be  self-reliant  and  effective. 

I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  greatest  merit  of 
universal  military  training  will  be  to  repair  much  of  the 
damage  that  the  tendency  of  the  past  twenty-five  years 
toward  the  optional  and  go-as-you-please  systems 
adopted  by  numbers  of  our  colleges  has  done  to  their 
graduates,  and  that  there  is  great  need  of  applying  to 
the  growing  youth  some  training  that  will  make  them 
respect  authority,  assume  responsibility,  obey  orders 
and  play  a  man's  part  in  life. 

WILLARD  V.  KING 

President  of  Columbia  Trust  Company,  New  York  City 

I  should  like  to  say  that  classical  studies  under  teach- 
ers who  are  trying  to  give  value  seem  to  me  of  the  high- 
est importance.  I  do  not  say  any  higher  than  that  of 
scientific  studies,  but  fully  as  high.  I  happened  to  have 
an  inspired  teacher  of  Latin  for  four  years  at  Columbia, 
and  in  Greek  for  two  years ;  and  it  is  very  easy  for  me 
to  trace  to  their  influence  a  good  deal  of  the  facility  I 
find  in  thinking  as  well  as  in  writing.  A  man  of  tre- 
mendous genius  may  be  able  to  carve  regardless  of  his 
tools,  but  those  who  fall  short  of  genius  will  succeed, 
largely,  as  they  are  expert  with  their  tools.  And  aside 
from  the  mastery  of  language  and  the  clarity  of  thought 
it  produces,  the  incidental  acquaintance  with  the  philos- 


STATEMENTS  157 

ophies  of  Greece  and  Rome  has  been  of  more  than  lit- 
erary value  to  me.  My  experience  has  been  entirely  in 
the  Trust  Company  field,  but  that  includes  some  rail- 
roading and  a  good  deal  of  law  in  addition  to  banking. 
In  all  these,  a  knowledge  of  human  nature  is  more  im- 
portant than  of  economic  theory;  I  should  say  that 
banking  is  nine-tenths  a  study  of  human  beings  and 
only  one-tenth  science.  You  will  see,  therefore,  that 
the  study  of  the  habits  of  thought  of  older  peoples  gives 
an  excellent  foundation  for  studying  the  minds  of  our 
own  generation. 

MORTIMER  L.  S CHIEF 

Kuhn,  Loeb  &  Co.,  New  York  City 

It  has  always  been  my  opinion  that  the  study  of  class- 
ical languages  is  of  great  importance,  both  as  a  form  of 
mental  discipline  as  well  as  for  its  cultural  value.  While 
it  may  be  said  that  excellent  translations  exist  which 
enable  the  study  of  classical  authors  to  be  made  without 
a  knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek,  there  is  no  question  in 
my  mind  that  English  translations,  no  matter  how  excel- 
lently done,  cannot  convey  the  atmosphere  and  the  feel- 
ing of  the  original.  It  must  also  not  be  overlooked  that 
Latin  is  the  basis  of  both  French  and  Spanish,  than 
which  there  are  no  more  important  modern  languages 
at  the  present  time,  and  it  seems  to  me  to  be  apparent 
that  a  well  grounded  knowledge  of  Latin  must  be  of 
assistance  and  of  value  to  the  student  of  modern  lan- 
guages derived  from  it.  I,  for  one,  have  regretted  the 
tendency  of  modern  secondary  education  to  omit  the 
study  of  classical  languages  or  to  minimize  their  im- 
portance. It  might  as  readily  be  said  that  a  study  of 


158  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

algebra  and  geometry  is  unnecessary,  as  it  is  only  in 
rare  instances  that  higher  mathematics  is  of  value  to 
the  student  in  after  life.  Nobody  would  deny,  however, 
that  the  study  of  such  mathematics  is  the  best  kind  of 
mental  training  and  discipline  for  the  growing  youth 
and  the  same  in  my  opinion  holds  true  as  to  the  classical 
languages. 

JAMES  LOEB 

Formerly  of  Kuhn,  Loeb  &  Co.,  New  York  City 

The  great  and  legitimate  aim  of  a  business  man  is  to 
make  money.  .  .  .  But  when  a  man  has  reached  the 
goal  of  his  desires,  when  he  has  made  his  pile  and  wants 
to  enjoy  it,  then  comes  the  time  for  the  making  of  the 
real  and  only  balance  sheet.  Then  he  must  ask  him- 
self, "What  are  my  resources,  now  that  I  have  every- 
thing that  money  can  buy?  What  are  my  spiritual  and 
intellectual  assets?  How  can  I  best  spend  what  is  left 
to  me  in  life?"  Lucky  is  the  man  whose  early  training 
fits  him  for  something  more  than  the  golf  field,  or  the 
tennis  court,  or  for  something  better  than  the  gaming 
table  when  his  days  of  business  activity  are  over.  He 
can  taste  the  gentler  pleasures  that  await  him  in  his 
study  and  by  the  blazing  hearth  fire.  His  Sophocles  or 
his  Homer  or  his  Catullus  will  make  this  winter  of  life 
seem  like  its  early  spring  when  the  greatest  struggle  he 
knew  was  with  the  elusive  rules  of  grammar  and  syntax. 

EFFINGHAM  B.  MORRIS 

President  Girard  Trust  Company,  Philadelphia 

The  answer  to  your  question  would  seem  to  me  some- 
what dependent  upon  what  the  boy  intends  to  do  after 
leaving  school. 


STATEMENTS  159 

If  he  goes  to  college,  a  school  course  might  embrace 
Latin,  Greek,  history,  mathematics  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage. 

If  he  is  obliged  to  go  direct  from  school  into  mercan- 
tile business,  then:  Latin,  history,  mathematics  and 
Spanish  or  French. 

If  he  goes  from  school  into  a  shop  or  any  technical 
trade,  then:  Latin,  mathematics,  history  and  German 
or  French. 

Thorough  knowledge  of  a  few  subjects  as  a  founda- 
tion would  seem  preferable  to  a  smattering  of  many. 

L.  SCOTT  TOWNSEND 

Security  Trust  and  Safety  Deposit  Co.,  Wilmington,  Del. 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  I  regard  one  in- 
structed in  the  classics  as  specially  qualified  to  take  a 
prominent  place  in  the  business  world,  and  I  would 
earnestly  recommend  all  young  men  preparing  for  any 
one  of  the  many  business  callings  not  to  fail  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  learn  Latin  and  Greek. 

JAMES  B.  FORGAN 

President  First  National  Bank,  Chicago 

I  am  inclined  to  favor  No.  4,1  believing  that  both  the 
classics  and  mathematics  should  form  part  of  the  boy's 
course  in  high  school.  I  feel,  however,  that  my  opinion 
carries  little  weight  as  I  have  never  been  in  sufficiently 
close  touch  with  educational  matters  to  enable  me  to 
form  an  accurate  or  very  positive  opinion.  I  presume 
that  boys  are  supposed  to  be  sufficiently  grounded  in  the 
"three  R's"  before  they  enter  high  school;  but  my  ex- 
perience is  that,  if  this  is  so,  during  their  high  school 

i"No.  4"  is  the  course  requiring  mathematics  and  classics. 


160  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

term  they  must  forget  a  good  deal  of  what  they  previ- 
ously learned.  I  would  like  to  see  high  school  gradu- 
ates better  grounded  in  their  elementary  education  and 
able  to  write  legibly,  spell  correctly  and  be  more  accur- 
ate and  expert  in  simple  arithmetical  problems. 

FRANCIS  A.  DEWICK 

President  of  Boston  Board  of  Underwriters,  Boston 

Latin  assists  in  acquiring  a  good  English  vocabulary, 
and  the  power  to  express  one's  self  forcefully.  The 
function  of  the  high  school  is  not  to  give  the  pupil  a 
definite  something  which  he  can  market  for  a  limited 
wage,  but  rather  to  develop  his  mind  to  the  end  that  in 
it  he  may  have  an  instrument  capable  of  solving  the 
problems  of  business  and  social  life.  Hence,  by  all 
means  study  Greek  and  Latin. 

CHARLES  W.  SCOVEL 

Life  Insurance 

Former  President  of  The  National  Association  of  Life  Underwriters, 

Pittsburgh 

Long  ago  higher  education  was  for  the  preacher, 
lawyer,  doctor — no  one  else.  In  later  years  the  cry 
was  for  technical  schooling.  .  .  .  Indeed  that  idea  be- 
came a  fad.  But  the  pendulum  always  swings  back. 
The  very  growth  of  modern  industries  was  bound  to 
force  a  reaction.  It  brought  a  great,  growing  need  for 
men — not  experts,  but  just  plain,  broad  gauge,  clear 
thinking  men;  men  of  mental  force,  of  personality,  of 
initiative;  men  who  can  think  for  themselves,  who  can 
start  things  and  keep  them  going ;  who  can  handle  other 
men,  including  the  scientific  experts.  This  is  the  kind 
of  man  that  business  leaders  are  crying  out  for  today. 


STATEMENTS  161 

The  university  answers  that  cry  by  its  college  courses. 
Yes,  I  mean  Latin  and  Greek — that  is,  for  every  lad 
whose  mental  fibre  is  of  highest  grade,  capable  of  reach- 
ing highest  efficiency.  Greek  and  Latin  (taught  by 
modern,  scientific  methods,  of  course;  very  different 
from  the  old  dry-as-dust  routine)  will  discipline  and 
mature  that  high  grade  mental  fibre  better  than  any 
other  study  whatever — no  matter  what  line  of  life  work 
it  is  to  tackle  later  on. 


GEORGE  D.  MARKHAM 

Insurance 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

It  was  a  poor  selection  when  you  requested  me  to  give 
the  reasons  for  a  classical  education,  but  perhaps  I  am 
a  good  witness  because  I  had  so  little  classical  educa- 
tion. Small  as  it  was,  I  have  always  felt  that  it  gave 
me  a  better  grip  on  language  and  power  of  expression, 
because  I  better  understood  the  shades  of  meaning  in 
words  from  knowing  their  origin.  If  the  little  classical 
education  which  I  received  could  help  at  all  in  the  most 
difficult  of  all  accomplishments,  the  power  to  express 
one's  self,  then  it  seems  to  justify  the  time  I  spent  on 
Greek  and  Latin. 

WILLIAM  B.  MUNRO 

Bureau  of   Research   in   Municipal   Government,   Boston 

I  have  found  Latin  of  enormous  value.  It  gave  me 
literary  appreciation,  a  broadened  English  vocabulary, 
and  enabled  me  to  learn  French  and  Spanish  more  readi- 
ly. I  would  give  more  time  in  early  years  to  Latin  and 
Greek,  not  less. 


162  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

ARTHUR  S.  PERKINS 

In  charge  of  the  Commercial  Course,  Dorchester  High  School,  Boston 

Fortunately  for  the  success  of  the  experiment,  the 
Headmaster  of  the  Dorchester  High  School,  Mr.  James 
E.  Thomas,  earnest  advocate  of  sound  vocational  studies 
that  he  is,  has  given  the  commercial  Latin  his  most 
hearty  support.  Furthermore,  Mr.  W.  L.  Anderson, 
head  of  the  Commercial  Department,  who,  by  the  way, 
was  the  first  to  suggest  to  me  the  idea  of  such  a  course, 
not  only  knows  from  personal  experience  the  value  of 
Latin  to  commercial  education,  but  from  a  wide  obser- 
vation extending  over  many  years  appreciates  the  seri- 
ousness of  the  handicap  in  the  competition  of  life  placed 
upon  those  who  have  never  studied  the  Latin  language. 
Many,  on  general  principles,  would  admit,  I  think,  the 
importance  of  such  a  course  to  stenographers;  but  we 
contend  that,  even  to  a  greater  degree,  salesmen  and 
business  men,  generally,  need  the  help  to  be  derived 
from  Latin. 

WILLIAM  F.  MURRAY 

Postmaster,  Boston 

I  have  found  Latin  of  practical  value,  in  word  uses, 
especially  as  to  derivation. 

HENRY  P.  KENDALL 

President   of   Plimpton    Press,    Norwood,    Mass. 

The  study  of  Latin  gave  me  my  first  conception  of 
the  fundamentals  of  the  English  language  and  the  root 
values  of  words.  I  feel  that  I  should  never  have  gotten 
this  without  the  study  of  Latin.  I  have  found  Latin  of 
great  practical  value  from  the  greater  knowledge  of  the 


STATEMENTS  163 

meanings  of  words  and  the  associations,  as  well  as  the 
root  meanings,  which  come  from  the  Latin  language. 
I  have  also  found  it  of  more  specific  value  in  scientific 
terms,  particularly  in  the  natural  sciences,  which  are 
built  almost  wholly  on  Greek  and  Latin  roots. 

CHARLES  A.  MUNN 

Publisher 
Scientific  American,  New  York  City 

I  regret  to  say  that  as  far  as  I  am  concerned  my 
memory  of  Latin  and  Greek  has  faded  away  into  a  re- 
mote past.  Nevertheless,  I  have  never  for  a  moment 
regretted  the  time  that  I  spent  upon  the  classics  when 
in  college,  and  I  believe  that  the  experience  I  derived 
from  these  courses  has  been  of  great  service  to  me  in 
after  life. 

I  think  that  modern  languages  are,  of  course,  of  great 
practical  value,  provided  they  can  be  mastered  in  a 
proper  manner  in  a  school  or  college  course.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  this  may  be  done,  but  I  have  never  seen  it 
done  satisfactorily  except  for  purposes  of  reading  or 
study. 

S.  S.  McCLURE 

Publisher 
New  York  City 

Four-fifths  of  the  students  at  Knox  College  then 
took  the  old  fashioned  classical  course,  in  which  Greek 
was  obligatory.  This  course  still  seems  to  me  the  sound- 
est preparation  a  young  man  can  have,  and  I  still  feel 
that  Greek  was  the  most  important  of  my  studies.  Dur- 
ing the  years  that  he  reads  and  studies  Greek  a  boy 
gets  certain  standards  that  he  uses  all  the  rest  of  his 
life,  long  after  he  has  forgotten  grammar  and  vocabu- 
lary. 


164  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

GEORGE  HAVEN  PUTNAM 

Publisher 
New  York  City 

The  word  that  I  am  in  a  position  to  give  in  regard  to 
the  "value"  of  classical  studies  comes  from  one  who  has 
not  been  able,  from  personal  experience,  to  realize  this 
value.  It  is  a  statement  of  one  who  has  been  called 
upon  through  half  a  century  to  do  literary  work  and 
who  had  been  prevented  by  factors  not  within  his  own 
control  from  securing  the  knowledge  of  Greek  and 
Latin  and  had,  therefore,  not  enjoyed  the  advantage  of 
familiarity,  at  least  in  the  original  text,  with  the  works 
of  the  great  writers  of  antiquity. 

It  is  my  belief,  from  the  difficulties  I  have  my- 
self experienced  in  securing  an  adequate  understanding 
of  the  languages  and  the  literature  of  later  times,  that 
an  adequate  knowledge,  first  of  the  language  and  then 
of  the  literature  of  both  the  Greek  and  the  Roman 
people,  is  essential  for  the  intellectual  equipment  of  any 
thoughtful  person  who  desires  to  study  the  great  intel- 
lectual movements  of  humanity  and  who  aims  to  secure 
a  proper  understanding  of  the  foundations,  the  causa- 
tions and  the  inspirations  from  which  have  been  pro- 
duced the  literatures  of  the  world. 

In  the  case  of  a  student  whose  time  has  been  limited 
and  who  has  had  the  necessity  of  choosing  between  de- 
voting study  to  Latin  or  to  Greek,  my  own  judgment 
would  be  in  favor  of  the  selection  of  Latin. 

I  may  admit  from  my  knowledge  of  the  literatures 
of  the  two  countries,  secured  through  the  reading  of 
English  versions,  that  the  literature  of  Greece  is  much 
the  more  important  of  the  two.  It  is  Hellenism  that 


STATEMENTS  165 

has  contributed  the  inspiration  not  only  for  the  Latin 
literature  which  immediately  followed,  but  for  the 
thought  of  the  centuries  which  succeeded  the  close  of 
the  Roman  State.  Latin  has,  however,  interwoven  it- 
self more  closely,  first,  with  the  language  and  later 
through  the  all  important  factor  of  Roman  law,  with 
the  law  and  with  the  literature  of  the  nations  that  suc- 
ceeded the  Roman  Empire. 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  man  becoming  a  master  of 
expression  in  English,  in  French,  in  Spanish  or  in 
Italian  without  a  knowledge  of  the  Latin  which  forms 
so  large  a  factor  in  all  four  languages.  The  Greek  has 
made  the  larger  contribution  to  the  thought  of  the 
world,  but  it  is  to  the  Roman  that  the  world  owes,  first, 
its  understanding  of  law  and  later  the  theory  of  the  or- 
ganization of  the  state. 

The  contribution  of  Rome,  as  far  as  it  had  to  do  with 
law  and  with  institutions,  can  be  studied,  with  a  fair 
measure  of  advantage,  in  translations  from  the  Roman 
text.  But  the  service  to  be  rendered  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  shades  and  meaning  of  words  in  the  languages  of 
today  can  be  secured  adequately  only  with  a  knowledge 
of  the  structure,  of  the  spirit  and  of  the  literature,  of  the 
Latin  tongue.  I  judge  that  the  loss  to  the  spirit  of  the 
original  in  the  attempt  to  secure  from  English  versions 
an  appreciation  of  the  actual  character  of  the  literature 
of  Greece  must  be  very  much  greater  than  is  the  loss 
in  reading  in  the  English  versions  the  works  of  the 
writers  of  Rome.  If  we  accept  the  first  contention  that 
it  fell  to  Greece  to  make  the  largest  contribution  that 
the  world  has  known  to  the  thought  of  humanity,  and  if 
it  be  true  that  the  full  spirit  and  inventiveness  of  the 
Greek  thinker  can  be  secured  only  by  taking  his  word 


166  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

in  the  original,  then  the  loss  to  the  twentieth  century 
and  to  any  succeeding  centuries,  in  lessening  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Greek  language  and  the  facility  of  reading 
Greek  text,  must  be  serious. 

Speaking,  therefore,  as  an  outsider  who  has  some 
realization  of  what  he  has  lost,  I  should  give  my  vote 
for  the  retention  of  Greek  for  all  students  whose  men- 
tality is  sufficiently  developed  to  take  in  the  larger 
thought,  philosophical,  poetic  or  literary,  of  the  world. 

I  should  give  my  vote  for  the  retention  of  Latin  for 
the  instruction  of  all  students,  boys  or  girls,  who  have 
any  aim  beyond  that  of  manual  labor  and  of  success  in 
controlling  material  things. 

J.  T.  MENTZER 

Atkinson,  Mentzer  &  Co.,  Publishers,  Chicago 

1.  Men  who  are  leaders  in  professional  and  business 
life  are  trained  observers.    Many  of  our  most  successful 
business  men  say  that  their  success  is  due  to  their  having 
cultivated  the  power  to  observe  quickly  and  correctly. 
The  study  of  Latin  and  Greek  develops  an  efficient 
power  to  observe  and  compare. 

2.  Having  the  proper  foundation  in  Latin,  one  can 
very  readily  acquire  the  modern  Romance  languages. 
From  a  commercial  point  of  view,  this  is  an  exceedingly 
important  reason  for  studying  Latin. 

3.  The  fact  that  our  own  tongue  is  half  Latin  justi- 
fies the  subject  being  taught  in  our  schools. 

4.  From  the  point  of  view  of  ethics,  the  study  of  the 
classics  is  to  be  encouraged ;  the  study  of  the  humanities 
of  Greek  and  Latin  will  give  a  wider  vision  to  the  spirit 
of  men. 


STATEMENTS  167 

3.     UNIVERSITIES  AND  COLLEGES 

ABBOTT  LAWRENCE  LOWELL 

President  of  Harvard  University 

For  the  core  of  secondary  instruction  as  a  preparation 
for  general  education  nothing  seems  to  me  to  have  yet 
been  found  so  effective  as  the  classics ;  nor  is  the  famili- 
arity with  the  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome  without 
great  value  to  the  thoughtful  citizen  of  the  present  day. 
The  problems,  social,  political  and  international,  that 
forced  themselves  upon  antiquity  are  on  the  whole  near- 
er to  the  ones  that  we  face,  and  still  more  shall  face,  than 
are  those  of  any  intervening  period.  The  classics  in  the 
colleges  and  universities  ought,  I  believe,  to  be  taught 
far  less  as  they  have  been  in  past  years  from  the  point 
of  view  of  philology,  and  more  from  the  point  of  view 
of  humanity,  that  is,  of  the  thoughts  of  men  as  indi- 
viduals and  as  communities,  especially  in  their  bearing 
upon  present  day  civilization.  Such  a  change  is  taking 
place,  but  it  ought  to  be  pushed  much  farther.  If  this 
were  done,  we  might  witness  a  revival  of  the  classics  as 
a  living  force  in  education,  and  in  the  life  of  educated 
men. 

ARTHUR  TWINING  HADLEY 

President  of  Yale  University 

It  has  been  on  the  whole  my  experience  that  men 
trained  in  the  classics  did  better  work  in  law,  in  eco- 
nomics and  in  most  lines  of  writing  which  require  care- 
ful analysis  than  men  who  had  been  trained  in  other 
lines. 

They  had  acquired  a  habit  of  looking  at  words  atten- 


168  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

tively ;  of  finding  out  the  meaning  of  difficult  things  for 
themselves  instead  of  expecting  other  people  to  tell 
them;  and  of  noting  the  difference  between  subject  and 
predicate,  between  things  assumed  and  things  stated. 

I  cannot  say  positively  that  this  difference  is  due  to 
an  inherent  superiority  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics 
over  other  subjects  available  for  our  use.  It  may  be 
due  to  a  difference  in  methods  of  teaching.  It  may  be 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  boys  who  study  classics  have 
been  brought  up  in  the  habit  of  taking  books  seriously 
and  being  careful  in  the  use  of  language.  But  while  I 
am  not  sure  about  the  cause,  I  feel  quite  sure  about  the 
facts. 

ANSON  PHELPS  STOKES 

Secretary  of  Yale  University 

I  have  duly  received  your  communication  requesting 
an  expression  of  opinion  as  to  the  value  of  classical 
studies.  In  reply  I  beg  to  say  that  I  am  exceedingly 
glad  that  I  studied  the  classics  and  only  regret  that  I 
did  not  master  them  more  completely.  I  did  not  go  far 
enough  into  Latin  to  have  Latin  literature  in  the  origi- 
nal mean  much  to  me,  but  the  better  understanding  of 
the  English  language  which  has  come  through  a  knowl- 
edge of  Latin  has  proven  invaluable.  I  have  also  found 
Greek  of  vital  importance  in  connection  with  my  minis- 
terial studies.  To  be  unable  to  read  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  Greek  would  be  to  lose  both  a  pleasure  and  an 
inspiration. 

In  general  I  feel  that  the  study  of  the  classics  tends 
to  encourage  idealism,  a  fondness  for  literature  and  a 
capacity  for  apt  expression,  as  well  as  providing  excel- 


STATEMENTS  169 

lent  mental  discipline  and  a  certain  background  of  cul- 
ture which  is  of  much  importance. 

I  am  glad  that  a  knowledge  of  Greek  and  Latin  is  no 
longer  considered  an  essential  qualification  for  an  edu- 
cated man  in  all  professions,  because  the  old  standards 
which  insisted  upon  this  seem  to  me  rather  snobbish  for 
a  modern  democracy,  but  I  think  that  there  is  much  to 
be  said  in  favor  of  keeping  at  our  representative  historic 
universities  and  colleges  at  least  one  degree,  the  Bache- 
lor of  Arts,  with  some  classical  requirement,  and  I  feel 
that  our  civilization  would  lose  much  if  the  classics  were 
put  into  the  background.  By  all  means  let  us  experi- 
ment with  new  subjects  of  study  and  new  methods  of 
teaching,  but  not  to  the  exclusion  of  trying  to  find  the 
real  values — both  old  and  new — in  subjects  which  have 
proven  of  worth  to  many  generations. 

W.  H.  P.  FAUNCE 

President  of  Brown  University 

Latin  still  constitutes  the  most  thoroughly  ordered 
and  synthesized  body  of  knowledge  in  the  modern 
world,  and  hence  the  best  of  all  known  studies  for  build- 
ing an  ordered  mind. 

ALEXANDER  MEIKLEJOHN 

President  of  Amherst  College 

It  is  one  of  my  ambitions  that  Amherst  should  do  her 
part  in  realizing  the  possibilities  of  classical  learning.  I 
am  sure  that  in  our  liberal  colleges  no  single  aim  is  more 
important  than  that  of  making  the  philosophy,  litera- 
ture, art  and  history  of  Greece  and  Rome  influential  in 
the  experience  of  the  American  people. 


170  VALUE   OF   THE    CLASSICS 

GEORGE  D.  OLDS 

Dean  of  Amherst  College 

My  belief  in  the  classics  is  firmly  grounded.  It  is 
difficult,  however,  to  give  a  brief  statement  of  the  rea- 
sons for  the  faith  that  is  in  me.  Indeed,  I  have  never 
seen  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  formulation  of  the  rea- 
sons. My  appeal  is  (as  the  good  churchman  often  says 
of  religion  and  prayer)  to  the  experience  of  the  race, 
and  there  is  ample  evidence  that  the  race,  or  those  mem- 
bers of  it  who  have  pursued  Latin  and  Greek  with 
earnestness  of  purpose  and  for  a  sufficiently  long  time, 
are  from  the  standpoint  of  breadth  of  vision,  insight  and 
intellectual  power  the  better  for  their  labors.  Disraeli 
says  somewhere  that  with  the  passage  of  the  Reform 
Bill  in  1832  the  Horatian  period  of  English  parliamen- 
tary eloquence  was  at  an  end,  meaning,  of  course,  that 
the  newly  enfranchised  middle  class  electorate  would 
be  intolerant  of  classical  scholarship ;  but  the  surprising 
fact  remains  that  every  English  Prime  Minister  from 
1832  to  the  days  of  Arthur  Balfour  was  a  graduate  of 
either  Oxford,  Cambridge  or  Edinburgh,  with  the  sole 
exception  of  Disraeli  himself. 

HARRY  AUGUSTUS  GARFIELD 

President  of  Williams  College 

I  am  deeply  interested  in  the  preservation  of  the 
classics  in  our  colleges  of  liberal  training.  After  all  has 
been  said  against  the  teaching  of  Latin  and  Greek  in 
our  schools  and  colleges,  it  remains  true  that  no  ade- 
quate substitutes  have  yet  been  found,  if  the  aim  is  a 
liberal  education. 

It  ought  not  to  require  long  argument  to  convince 


STATEMENTS  171 

practical  men  that  the  average  instructor  will  teach  with 
greatest  success  the  subject  in  which  the  method  of 
teaching  is  most  exactly  and  widely  understood  and 
practiced,  and  that  the  language  which  yields  the  richest 
return  in  literature  and  liberal  learning  will  best  repay 
the  prolonged  study  and  contemplation  of  scholars. 

Of  course  classics  have  no  place  in  a  get  knowledge 
quick  programme,  frequently  confused  with  the  long 
process  of  a  liberal  education;  nor  would  I  attempt  to 
convince  those  who  by  temperament  or  experience  are 
better  fitted  for  the  newer  fields  of  intellectual  activity, 
men  of  the  intellectual  pioneer  type  whose  powers  might 
never  reach  full  strength  in  what  for  them  would  be  the 
confining  walls  of  an  institution  of  liberal  learning. 

RICHARD  C.  MACLAURIN 

President  of  the  Massachusetts   Institute  of  Technology 

When  the  element  of  compulsion  is  removed  from  the 
study  of  the  classics,  the  opposition  of  men  of  science 
and  men  of  affairs  for  the  most  part  disappears.  Gen- 
erally what  these  men  object  to  is  the  forcing  of  every- 
one to  study  something  in  which  many  have  no  interest 
and  for  which  more  have  no  aptitude.  Some  of  the  ob- 
jectors are  irritated  by  the  extravagant  claims  made 
for  the  classics  as  if  Latin  and  Greek  were  necessarily 
synonymous  with  humanity,  just  as  some  are  annoyed 
by  the  loud  boasting  of  the  champions  of  science.  We 
may  hope  that  little  harm  will  be  done  by  the  extrem- 
ists who  in  education  as  elsewhere  are  less  effective  than 
most  people  suppose.  As  to  engineering,  in  which  I  am 
specially  interested,  I  hear  from  men  of  eminence  in 
that  profession  a  constant  demand  for  greater  lucidity 
and  precision  of  expression,  a  greater  insight  into  hu- 


172  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

man  needs  and  limitations,  and  a  less  provincial  out- 
look on  the  world.  Under  the  guidance  of  good  teach- 
ers the  study  of  the  classics  will  surely  be  helpful  to- 
ward these  great  ends. 

NICHOLAS  MURRAY  BUTLER 

President  of  Columbia  University 
For  President  Butler's  letter  see  page  41. 


We  the  undersigned  professors  (or  one  time  profes- 
sors) of  Cornell  University  should  prefer  as  students 
of  our  respective  subjects  those  who  have  included  both 
Greek  and  Latin  among  their  preparatory  studies 
rather  than  those  who  have  neglected  those  studies  in 
favor  of  modern  languages  or  of  our  own  respective 
subjects. — Statement  signed  by  fifty  Professors  of 
Mathematics,  Mechanical  Engineering,  Civil  Engineer- 
ing, Electrical  Engineering,  Economics,  Botany,  Zo- 
ology, Psychology,  Modern  Languages,  Philosophy, 
etc.,  in  April,  1911. 

RUSH  RHEES 

President  of  the  University  of  Rochester 

So  far  as  our  experience  has  gone,  we  have  not  dis- 
covered a  means  for  the  development  of  intellectual  ma- 
turity comparable  with  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek. 

JAMES  R.  DAY 

Chancellor  of  Syracuse  University 

As  a  time  saver  and  as  a  sure  road  to  the  topmost 
round  of  all  things  that  require  strong,  critical  and 


STATEMENTS  173 

clear  thinking,  I  would  urge  the  patient  and  untiring 
study  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages. 

LYMAN  P.  POWELL 

President  of  Hobart  College,  Geneva,  New  York 

I  am  glad  to  state  with  the  utmost  earnestness  my 
conviction  concerning  the  importance  of  the  study  of 
the  classics. 

I  singled  this  out  for  special  consideration  in  my  in- 
stallation address  when  I  came  here  four  years  ago,  and 
we  have  had  a  considerable  proportion  of  students, 
thanks  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  teaching  of  the  sub- 
ject here,  in  Greek  and  Latin. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  classics  will  retain  their  value 
for  education  as  long  as  the  aim  is  to  make  men  rather 
than  produce  machines,  to  brighten  and  enrich  the  whole 
of  life  rather  than  simply  make  a  living,  to  implant 
ideas  and  instill  ideals  as  well  as  to  impart  knowledge 
and  train  for  technical  service,  to  keep  in  vital  contact 
with  all  that  is  best  in  the  past  as  well  as  meet  the  prac- 
tical demands  of  the  present. 

It  is  a  commonplace  to  say  that  language  is  the  in- 
strument of  thought  and  literature,  its  highest  expres- 
sion, and  therefore  must  retain  its  proper  place  in  the 
curriculum  of  a  truly  cultural  college.  There  is  no 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  literature  possible  without 
acquaintance  with  the  classics.  No  one  can  understand 
the  English  language  without  some  knowledge  of  Latin 
from  which  it  derives  much,  and  certainly  no  real  knowl- 
edge of  Latin  literature  is  possible  to  one  ignorant  of 
the  Greek. 

Finally  a  civilization  which  in  this  time  more  than  in 
any  other  must  call  itself  Christian  has  to  draw  on  its 


114,  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

sources  which  are  accessible  only  in  Greek,  without  the 
study  of  which  access  to  these  sources  is  difficult  if  not 
impossible. 

JOHN  GRIER  HIBBEN 

President  of  Princeton  University 

I  am  most  thoroughly  in  favor  of  classical  studies, 
and  my  opinion  is  based  not  only  upon  my  own  experi- 
ence but  upon  the  general  history  of  education. 

For  President  Hibben's  address  see  page  37. 

EDGAR  F.  SMITH 

Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 

You  were  good  enough  to  write  me  a  note  in  regard 
to  the  value  of  classical  studies.  I  don't  know  how  I 
can  ever  adequately  present  my  views  in  regard  to  the 
value  of  such  subjects.  I  believe  that  the  training  I  re- 
ceived in  Latin  and  Greek,  the  discipline  that  was  mine, 
the  great  fields  that  were  opened  up  to  me  as  a  result 
of  following  out  those  lines  of  study  have  meant  every- 
thing to  me.  I  think  the  problems  I  have  solved  in 
pure  chemistry  were  made  easier;  and,  indeed,  the  line 
of  solution  of  these  problems  was  determined  as  a  con- 
sequence of  the  broad  training  which  comes  to  one  who 
follows  the  classical  subjects  through  their  various  rami- 
fications. 

In  later  years  of  my  life  I  have  given  a  great  deal  of 
attention  to  historical  subjects  and  I  have  found  my 
early  training  to  be  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  me.  I 
am  constantly  falling  back  on  my  Latin  and  Greek. 


STATEMENTS  175 

JOSIAH  H.  PENNIMAN 

Vice-Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 

A  knowledge  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics  is  one 
of  the  means  of  understanding  the  English  language, 
and  is  essential  to  an  understanding  of  our  intellectual 
and  spiritual  heritage,  without  which  our  knowledge  of 
the  meaning  of  the  present  is  necessarily  incomplete. 
Both  of  these  ends  are  of  fundamental  importance. 

A  knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek  and  of  their  litera- 
tures is  valuable  not  only  as  a  means  but  also  as  an  end. 
It  is  not  possible  to  know  their  literatures  intimately 
without  knowing  the  languages,  and  the  content  of  the 
literatures  is  of  such  value  that  one  who  is  unfamiliar 
with  it  has  never  come  into  possession  of  an  important 
portion  of  the  world's  treasure. 

HENRY  S.  DRINKER 

President  of  Lehigh  University,  South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Of  course,  we  are  in  sympathy  with  you  at  Lehigh  in 
emphasizing  the  importance  of  classical  studies  as  an 
essential  element,  not  only  in  liberal  education  as  com- 
monly understood,  but  as  a  necessary  prerequisite  to 
the  education  of  the  engineer,  and  I  am  certain  that  I 
voice  the  opinion  of  the  great  majority  of  our  engineers 
of  today  in  saying  that  we  believe  a  broad  cultural  train- 
ing an  essential  requisite  in  the  education  of  the  modern 
engineer.  Let  me  give  you  a  concrete  instance. 

We  have  all  heard  of  John  Fritz,  the  father  of  the 
steel  industry  in  America,  affectionately  known  among 
the  mining  and  metallurgical  engineers  of  the  country 
as  "Uncle"  John  Fritz.  I  knew  Mr.  Fritz  intimately. 
It  was  he  who,  as  engineer,  went  to  France  and  to  Eng- 


176  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

land  in  1887,  and  brought  home  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish processes  for  the  manufacture  of  armor  plate,  and 
who  encouraged  at  Bethlehem  the  manufacturing  of 
armor  plate  and  high  power  guns.  Mr.  Fritz,  while  a 
great  engineer,  was  an  absolutely  self-educated  man. 
He  never  attended  college,  but  he  was  a  man  of  wide 
reading  and  information,  and  yet  he  was  what  might  be 
called  typically  a  "practical"  engineer.  I  shall  never 
forget  that  one  day  he  said  to  me,  "Dr.  Drinker,  if  I 
had  a  son  to  be  educated  as  an  engineer,  I  would  see  to 
it  first  of  all  that  he  gained  some  knowledge  of  Latin 
and  Greek." 

ISAAC  SHARPLESS 

Recently  President  of  Haverford  College 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  advantage  of  Latin  and  Greek 
consists  in  their  ability  to  make  students  do  serious, 
earnest,  thoughtful  work  every  day  that  they  prepare 
the  lesson.  This  sort  of  training  is  what  is  needed  not 
merely  for  scholarly  people  but  for  business  men  and 
every  one  else.  It  is  true  that  the  training  may  be  ob- 
tained by  other  subjects,  and  that  the  classics  are  not 
the  only  means  of  securing  it,  but  they  are  the  most 
certain  means  that  I  know  of.  My  observation  of  re- 
sults is  that  classical  scholars  succeed  because  they  have 
it  and  others  fail  sometimes  because  they  do  not  have  it. 

W.  W.  COMFORT 

President-Elect  of  Haverford  College 

The  boy  who  has  been  well  trained  in  even  one  of  the 
classics  is  seldom  slipshod  in  his  methods  of  study. 
Many  who  have  not  been  so  trained  are  worse  than  slip- 
shod; they  are  unqualifiedly  illiterate. 


STATEMENTS  177 

JOHN  H.  MACCRACKEN 

President  of  Lafayette  College 

My  training  in  Latin  extended  over  ten  years,  my 
training  in  Greek  over  eight  years,  and  I  have  had  no 
occasion  to  regret  the  time  thus  employed.  The  discip- 
linary value  of  these  studies  I  can  more  readily  recog- 
nize and  measure  than  the  cultural  value.  The  forma- 
tion of  taste  and  ideals  "cometh  not  with  observation." 
On  the  other  hand  such  disciplinary  by-products  as 
closeness  of  observation,  nicety  of  discrimination,  sagac- 
ity in  selecting  the  significant  element  in  a  complicated 
structure,  are  more  readily  detected. 

The  study  of  classics  adds  unity  to  our  knowledge. 
This  is  peculiarly  true  in  an  age  dominated  by  the  idea 
of  evolution,  an  age  which  places  perhaps  undue  em- 
phasis on  the  pedigree  of  knowledge.  It  tends  to  cor- 
rect the  subjective  attitude  of  contemporary  thought 
by  the  objective  attitude  of  a  simpler  age.  Dead  lan- 
guages, just  because  they  are  dead,  serve  as  useful  ab- 
stract terms  in  the  working  out  of  problems  in  the  social 
sciences,  just  as  the  abstract  terms  of  other  sciences, 
electrons,  atoms,  and  all  the  family  of  x,  y,  z's  have 
done  much  to  build  up  knowledge  in  the  fields  of  natural 
science. 

Classical  studies  are  not  for  everyone.  No  one  needs 
a  telescope  to  enjoy  the  beauty  of  the  starry  heavens,  or 
to  rise  with  the  sun  to  labor,  or  retire  with  the  sun  to 
rest,  but  classical  studies  are  to  the  student  of  man,. his 
thoughts  and  passions,  a  part  of  those  larger  lenses 
which  reveal  unguessed  worlds,  and  make  more  intel- 
ligible even  the  workaday  sun. 


178  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

S.  B.  McCoRMICK 

Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Pittsburgh 

I  am  as  thoroughly  convinced  as  I  ever  have  been  of 
the  value  of  classical  studies.  I  wish  conditions  were 
such  as  to  permit  all  students  who  enter  college  to  re- 
ceive a  thorough  training  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  lan- 
guages. These  are  the  doorways  through  which  stu- 
dents enter  into  treasures  of  untold  cultural  wealth  and 
except  as  they  master  these  languages  these  doorways 
are  forever  closed  to  them. 

WILLIAM  H.  CRAWFORD 

President  of  Allegheny  College,  Meadville,  Pa. 

In  response  to  your  request  permit  me  to  say  that  I 
believe  in  the  classics.  They  have  a  unique  place  in 
literature.  I  have  always  felt  that  the  requirements 
for  a  complete  education  must  include  a  thorough  ap- 
preciation of  language — its  structure  and  its  interpre- 
tation— and  must  above  all  things  produce  a  habit  of  dif- 
ferentiating, analyzing  and  classifying.  These  educa- 
tional requirements  are  met,  I  believe,  in  the  study  of 
the  classical  languages  in  a  way  for  which  there  is  no 
complete  substitute.  When  combined  with  the  newer 
subjects  of  the  modem  curriculum,  as  I  understand 
nearly  all  defenders  of  the  classics  advocate,  they  pro- 
duce what  I  am  confident  is  the  finest  type  of  training 
our  colleges  can  provide. 

STATEMENT  SENT  BY  BISHOP  SHAHAN,  RECTOR, 

in  behalf  of  the  Faculty  of  The  Catholic  University  of  America 
Washington,  D.  C. 

It  is  not  necessary,  for  our  present  purpose,  to  repeat 
the  well  known  arguments  in  favor  of  the  classics;  and 


STATEMENTS  179 

it  certainly  would  not  be  easy  to  single  out  as  a  new 
claim  any  result  of  classical  education,  any  grace  or 
utility,  which  has  not  already  been  set  forth  by  compe- 
tent writers  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  It  may,  how- 
ever, be  profitable  to  emphasize  one  or  two  points  which 
are  sometimes  lost  to  view  as  the  discussion  thickens,  or 
are  deliberately  obscured  by  the  opponents  of  the 
classics. 

The  first  is  that  the  issue  no  longer  lies  between  the 
educational  value  of  the  classics  and  the  educational 
value  of  scientific  studies,  but  rather  between  different 
meanings  of  education  itself.  It  is  admitted  that  the 
study  of  the  classics  does  educate,  and  we  certainly 
admit  as  much  for  scientific  studies.  But  when  we  have 
shown  conclusively  that  Latin  and  Greek  have  a  real 
educative  value,  we  are  confronted  by  the  further 
question — Is  that  the  sort  of  education  which  is  needed? 
Having  assumed  all  along  that  mental  culture,  ac- 
quaintance with  the  origins,  contact  with  great  think- 
ers, knowledge  of  the  sources  whence  have  come  our 
English  language  and  literature,  breadth  of  interest 
and  heightened  power  of  expression — in  a  word,  that 
the  humanization  of  man  is  the  end  for  which  we  edu- 
cate, we  may  be  told  that  we  are  on  the  wrong  track. 
Such,  indeed,  may  be  our  end,  but  it  is  not  the  end  of 
education.  And  thereupon  we  may  be  reminded  that 
the  very  efficiency  of  the  classics  in  achieving  their  pecu- 
liar results  is  one  more  reason  for  setting  them  aside. 
So,  inevitably,  the  discussion  widens  out,  and  the  force 
of  each  argument  comes  to  depend  not  on  its  source  but 
on  the  ultimate  aim  for  which  we  educate. 

Then,  in  the  second  place,  our  contention  is  far  less 
radical  than  that  of  our  opponents.  While  they  are 


180  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

bent  on  extermination,  giving  no  quarter  to  the  classics, 
we  insist  on  proportion — on  such  a  cooperation  of  all 
the  educational  values  as  will  secure  the  best  result. 
This  much,  at  least,  we  have  learned  from  the  artes 
liberates;  and  by  the  very  profession  of  our  faith  in 
them  we  are  constrained  to  make  place,  and  even  com- 
fort, for  the  sciences  as  well  as  for  the  classics.  Other- 
wise, we  would  have  missed,  as  our  opponents  generally 
do  miss,  the  basic  element  of  beauty  and  life  which  the 
Greeks  revealed  to  mankind. 

Third,  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  any  one  from  se- 
lecting his  own  educational  ideal  and  determining  the 
respective  share  of  the  classics  and  of  science  in  seeking 
its  realization.  We,  for  instance,  might  look  beyond 
the  present  day  and  lay  our  plans  for  the  year  2000 — 
just  as  we  might,  absolutely  speaking,  cast  out  electiv- 
ism  with  all  its  works  and  pomps,  and  restore  the  Tri- 
vium  and  Quadrivium.  But  in  our  actual  circumstances 
neither  of  these  plans  would  be  the  part  of  wisdom.  It 
is  for  the  youth  of  today  that  we  must  make  provision. 
It  is  with  the  present  condition  of  the  world,  and  with 
the  conditions  that  are  to  follow  in  the  near  future,  that 
we  must  reckon.  Instead  of  dwelling  on  the  history  of 
education,  whose  verdict  is  all  in  our  favor,  or  appeal- 
ing to  psychology  which  is  the  counsel  in  our  defence,  we 
can,  as  the  scientists  demand,  look  squarely  at  the  facts. 

The  conflict  in  which  the  world,  ourselves  included,  is 
now  engaged,  forces  upon  us  these  two  questions :  How 
are  we  to  wage  war?  Why  should  we  wage  it?  This  is 
not  the  logical  order  of  the  questions ;  but  it  is  the  more 
convenient,  since  it  is  easy  to  answer  the  first,  and  the 
scientists  will  be  quick  with  their  answer.  In  fact,  the 
answer  is  already  given  in  the  methods  which  the  war- 


STATEMENTS  181 

ring  nations  have  devised.  The  war,  evidently,  is  to  be 
conducted  by  the  use  of  all  those  agencies  which  science 
places  at  our  disposal — of  all  the  contrivances  for  kill- 
ing that  human  ingenuity  suggests.  The  soldier  at  the 
front  is  simply  the  instrument  for  the  mathematician, 
the  physicist,  the  chemist  and  the  engineer;  and  the 
slaughter  is  great  because  modern  science  is  in  the  ser- 
vice of  death.  Nor  have  we,  in  America,  any  other  hope 
of  success.  If  we  are  to  win,  we  must  have  somewhat 
more  of  science  or  a  larger  supply  of  its  products  than 
our  enemies  can  afford.  In  the  technical  sense,  of 
course,  we  were  not  prepared;  and  our  only  assurance 
now  lies  in  the  fact  that  we  had  provided  at  least  re- 
motely for  such  an  emergency  by  giving  science  so  con- 
siderable a  place  in  our  education.  Suppose  for  a  mo- 
ment that  it  had  been  excluded! 

Then  turn  to  the  other  question — why  are  we  at  war  ? 
— and  seek  an  answer  for  it  in  any  or  all  of  the  sciences. 
Get  a  formula,  or  an  equation,  or  a  principle  of  mechan- 
ics that  will  prove  the  righteousness  of  our  cause.  Is 
there  a  compound  known  to  chemistry  in  which  justice 
is  the  chief  ingredient?  Is  there  a  force  yet  discovered 
by  physics  that  shrinks  from  treachery  or  recoils  from 
cruelty  or  protests  against  murder?  As  far  as  possible, 
we  shall  use  the  same  agencies  of  destruction  as  our  ene- 
mies are  using,  or  others  more  powerful.  We  shall  use 
their  armament  and  their  ships  as  fast  as  we  can  seize 
them — for  the  use  will  be  the  same  in  our  hands  as  it 
now  is  in  theirs.  But  will  we  adopt  their  motives  and 
receive  for  our  own  their  gospel  of  hate?  If  not,  then 
it  will  be  simply  owing  to  the  fact  that  our  education 
has  included  other  things  than  scientific  fact  and  law. 
Whether  in  the  school  room  or  outside,  whether  from 


182  VALUE  OF  THE   CLASSICS 

formal  texts  or  from  less  technical  tradition,  we  have 
learned  that  there  are  such  things  as  right  and  social  ob- 
ligation and  the  duty  which  one  nation  owes  to  another. 
We  have  yet  in  our  mental  composition  some  trace  of 
the  Tiumanitas  which  the  older  learning  instilled.  We 
are  consistent  in  fighting  for  the  rights  of  man  because 
the  knowledge  of  man  in  his  spiritual  activity  is  of 
greater  value  than  the  knowledge  of  matter  and  force. 

We  have  told  the  world  in  explicit  terms  that  our  ob- 
ject is  to  secure  the  liberty  of  mankind,  that  we  are 
prepared  to  pay  the  price  in  blood  and  treasure  and 
sorrow.  But  this  implies  that  we  have  thought  out  the 
meaning  of  liberty,  that  we  know  on  what  foundations 
it  must  rest  and  to  what  dangers  it  may  be  exposed. 
Have  we  learned  this  by  studying  the  physical  world 
with  its  immutable  laws?  If  knowledge  were  confined 
to  the  mechanical  sequence  of  cause  and  effect  in  which 
physical  science  delights,  what  would  it  profit  to  talk, 
or  even  to  think,  of  freedom  for  ourselves  and  for  the 
rest  of  mankind?  The  ever  increasing  contrast  between 
nature  as  a  system  of  rigidly  determined  events  and 
humanity  demanding  a  larger  freedom  would  not  have 
been  brought  to  view  had  classical  culture  been  com- 
pletely excluded  from  modern  education. 

Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  liberty  means  more  than 
the  right  to  live,  to  go  our  way  without  let  or  hindrance, 
to  be  owners  of  land  and  makers  of  homes.  It  means 
freedom  of  inquiry  and  research,  the  right  to  seek  out 
the  ways  of  nature  and  lay  bare  the  hidden  forces  of 
the  world  by  using  our  senses  and  our  intelligence  to 
the  best  effect.  And  this  precisely  is  the  freedom  that 
science  demands.  It  is  because  of  this  freedom  that 
scientific  investigation  has  been  so  fruitful  and  has  be- 


STATEMENTS  183 

come  so  powerful  an  agent  alike  for  preservation  and 
for  destruction.  But  if  an  attempt  were  made  to  re- 
strict its  scope  or  to  prescribe  limits  for  its  inquiries, 
could  science  out  of  its  own  principles,  or  content,  or 
methods,  supply  a  single  argument  in  behalf  of  its  free- 
dom? It  would  turn  at  once  to  those  conceptions  of 
right,  of  liberty  and  of  progress  which  classical  educa- 
tion has  preserved  and  transmitted.  It  would  become, 
for  the  moment  and  for  its  own  salvation,  more  human- 
istic than  the  humanists  themselves.  And  it  would  do 
so  for  the  very  obvious  reason  that  the  scientist,  like 
everybody  else,  is  born  into  this  world,  not  as  a  formula 
or  as  a  machine,  but  as  a  man. 

It  may,  of  course,  be  objected  that  having  inherited 
our  notions  of  right  and  freedom,  with  all  the  rest  that 
the  past  could  give  us,  we  have  no  longer  any  need  of 
history  or  of  the  classical  tongues,  the  vehicles  of  trans- 
mission. We  can  discard  the  tree  and  live  by  its  fruit. 
Such  a  view  is  possible.  But  then  it  would  be  equally 
reasonable  and  quite  as  practical  for  the  aims  of  educa- 
tion to  declare  that  so  long  as  we  know  the  effects  we 
need  not  concern  ourselves  about  the  causes,  or  that 
provided  we  get  the  answer,  as  the  school  boy  would 
say,  we  can  dispense  with  the  principle  and  process. 

So  it  turns  out  that  the  plea  for  the  classics  is  in  reali- 
ty a  plea  for  science  itself.  For,  after  all,  science  is 
only  one  form  of  man's  striving  toward  the  truth  with 
a  divinely  given  impulse.  Its  light  is  not  for  itself 
alone,  and  surely  not  for  the  influencing  of  the  physical 
world,  but  rather  for  the  guidance  of  man  in  the  attain- 
ment of  his  destiny,  for  his  defence  in  the  struggle  for 
freedom  and  his  progress  in  the  ways  of  peace. 


184  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

H.  TUCKER  GRAHAM 

President  of  Hampden-Sidney  College,  Virginia 

I  feel  that  the  continuance  of  the  classics  as  an  essen- 
tial element  in  the  curriculum  of  every  college  of  liberal 
arts  is  of  the  highest  importance.  While  a  man  may 
secure  a  scientific  education  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
classics,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  contradiction  in  terms  to 
claim  that  one  is  liberally  educated  who  has  never  come 
into  personal  touch  with  the  great  masters  of  ancient 
thought — "those  dread  and  sceptred  sovereigns,  who  still 
rule  our  spirits  from  their  urns."  Nor  do  I  believe  that 
a  man  can  become  an  accurate  and  accomplished  Eng- 
lish scholar  without  at  least  a  reasonable  acquaintance 
with  either  Greek  or  Latin,  and  preferably  both  of  these 
languages. 

Any  movement,  therefore,  which  tends  to  foster  these 
studies  and  which  aims  to  give  to  the  classics  their  right- 
ful value  in  the  eyes  of  an  all  too  utilitarian  public 
commands  my  hearty  sympathy  and  cooperation. 

CHARLES  F.  THWING 

President  of  Western  Reserve  University,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

To  me  one  of  the  chief  values  of  the  study  of  the 
classics  is  founded  in  the  contribution  which  the  Latin 
and  the  Greek  races  have  made  to  modern  civilization. 
Four  forces  or  conditions  there  are  which  have  directly 
contributed  to  the  best  part  of  modern  life,  the  Greek, 
the  Roman,  the  Hebrew  and  the  Anglo-Saxon.  The 
Greek  in  its  teaching  of  beauty,  proportion,  wisdom; 
the  Roman,  the  Hebrew  and  the  Anglo-Saxon.  The 
the  Hebrew  in  its  sacred  books  and  personalities;  the 
Anglo-Saxon  in  its  example  of  liberty,  have  given 


STATEMENTS  185 

fundamental  elements  and  relations  to  our  western  civi- 
lization. A  literature,  therefore,  which  represents  these 
primary  conceptions  of  the  Greek  people  or  the  Roman 
cannot  fail  to  be  of  the  greatest  worth. 

HENRY  C.  KING 

President  of  Oberlin  College 

Perhaps  I  cannot  do  better,  in  the  way  of  answer  to 
your  request,  than  to  quote  a  few  sentences  from  a  re- 
cent address  of  mine,  on  "What  the  College  Stands 
For":  "The  college  owes  to  its  students  some  genetic 
understanding  of  the  civilization  in  which  they  live.  Our 
western  civilization  is  in  the  direct  line  of  intellectual, 
moral  and  religious  descent  from  ancient  Greece  and 
Rome  and  Judea.  Our  roots  in  philosophy  and  liter- 
ature and  art  go  back  to  Greece  (and  in  less  degree  to 
Rome) ,  in  law  to  Rome,  and  in  religion  to  Judea.  We 
shall  not  understand  ourselves  if  we  forget  them.  The 
college  may  be  held,  therefore,  as  bound  to  introduce  its 
students  to  the  significance  of  the  great  lines  of  inheri- 
tance of  western  civilization — Greek,  Roman  and 
Jewish." 

CHARLES  W.  DABNEY 

President  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  add  my  testimony  to  the  value 
of  the  classics  in  modern  education.  Not  that  both  or 
either  of  the  classic  languages  should  be  required  of  all 
the  youth.  In  a  democratic  state  like  ours,  whose 
preservation  depends  on  the  education  of  the  whole  peo- 
ple, the  indispensable  studies  would  not  go  far  beyond 
English.  But  for  those  whose  aim  for  themselves  and 
their  children  is  leadership  or  the  companionship  of 


186  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

leaders  in  their  chosen  profession  and  in  educated  so- 
ciety, more  than  the  essentials  is  needed.  The  man  who 
is  to  enjoy  the  respect  and  honor  of  the  community 
must  have  in  him  more  than  the  minimum  requirements 
of  his  trade,  more  than  that  smattering  of  general  in- 
formation that  will  keep  him  from  being  called  an  ig- 
noramus. It  is  reserve  of  power  that  at  all  times  in- 
spires confidence  and  in  the  day  of  need  brings  results. 
This  reserve  of  power  the  pursuit  of  the  classics,  it  seems 
to  me,  gives  in  a  preeminent  degree.  From  the  pur- 
suit of  the  classics  come,  probably  as  from  no  other 
studies,  concentration,  discrimination,  strengthened 
memory,  orderly  habit,  exact  expression,  power  to  con- 
quer difficulty,  above  all  the  feeling  for  getting  things 
right,  and  at  the  same  time  a  knowledge  is  gained  of  the 
sources  of  our  civilization,  and  acquaintance  with  those 
primal  men  whose  spirit  has  permeated  the  ages  and  still 
lives  productive  today.  In  a  word,  on  the  one  side 
comes  power  to  think;  on  the  other,  knowledge  of  the 
basic  material  with  which  our  thinking  is  concerned. 
And  to  that  is  added  the  purification  and  elevation  of 
spirit  that  follows  the  contemplation  of  beauty,  the  ideal 
of  how  to  live  that  is  beyond  the  knowledge  of  how  to 
make  a  living. 

A.  T.  BELKNAP 

Acting  President  of  Franklin  College,  Franklin,  Indiana 

In  addition  to  what  is  commonly  said  concerning  the 
disciplinary  and  cultural  value  of  classical  studies,  it 
appears  to  me  that  somehow  the  men  who  have  a  sound 
classical  training  manage  to  secure  a  higher  type  of  effi- 
ciency than  other  men.  The  longer  I  observe  college 
students  and  college  graduates,  the  more  I  am  satisfied 


STATEMENTS  187 

it  is  not  safe  for  us  to  neglect  the  higher  spiritual  values 
that  come  from  this  work.  This  higher  spiritual  effi- 
ciency we  need  today  as  never  before  in  the  history  of 
the  country. 

HARRY  BURNS  HUTCHINS 

Former  Dean  of  The  Law  School 
President  of  the  University  of  Michigan 

A  distinguished  English  judge  has  said  that  a  case 
clearly  stated  is  half  won,  and  there  is  certainly  truth  in 
the  suggestion.  One  of  the  difficult  tasks  of  the  law 
teacher  is  to  get  from  the  students  a  clear,  concise  and 
definite  statement  of  the  facts  of  the  case  that  is  to  form 
the  basis  of  the  discussion,  and  in  this  part  of  the  work 
the  noticeable  superiority  of  the  classically  trained  stu- 
dent is  apparent. 

EDMUND  J.  JAMES 

President  of  the  University  of  Illinois 

I  am  especially  pleased  to  have  an  opportunity  to  add 
my  small  testimony  to  the  value  of  classical  study. 

I  have  of  late  years  with  an  increasing  interest  at- 
tempted to  canvass  the  influences  of  different  elements 
in  my  education  upon  my  qualifications  for  the  particu- 
lar work  which  has  fallen  to  my  lot  during  the  last 
thirty-five  years. 

I  think  I  would  prefer  to  have  dropped  out  of  my  life 
and  thought  and  work  any  other  element  in  my  educa- 
tion rather  than  to  lose  the  things  which  the  study  of 
Greek  brought  to  me. 

Of  course  I  should  except  English  with  the  things 
that  go  with  that,  but  on  the  whole,  aside  from  English, 


188  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

I  have  always  thought  I  got  more  power  of  drawing 
fine  distinctions,  of  seeing  things  clearly,  of  expressing 
myself  so  that  other  people  could  understand  me, 
of  insight  into  certain  phases  of  human  life  and  human 
history,  and  of  inspiration  for  everything  that  was  worth 
while  being  inspired  for,  out  of  my  Greek  study  than 
out  of  any  other  single  study  extending  over  a  similar 
length  of  time  and  taking  a  similar  amount  of  energy; 
and  while  my  facility  in  reading  Greek  has  become  very 
slight,  I  find  when  taking  up  my  Homer  or  Plato  that 
I  am  still  able  to  get  inspiration  and  help  from  com- 
munion with  the  Greek  spirit  and  Greek  ideas. 

It  is  quite  a  distinctly  different  value  which  I  got 
from  my  study  of  Latin,  which  was  more  extensive  in 
time  than  my  study  of  Greek.  The  study  of  Roman 
history — which  I  am  sure  I  should  never  have  been  able 
to  understand  in  any  such  way  as  I  think  I  understand 
it  without  the  study  of  Latin  stretching  over  six  years- 
has  been  to  me  an  abiding  source  of  strength  for  all  my 
work.  The  study  of  a  civilization  which  in  a  certain 
sense  represents  to  us  a  closed  cycle  is  full  of  helpful 
suggestions.  At  least  it  has  been  so  to  me,  and  I  am 
free  to  say  that  the  study  of  Roman  institutions,  Roman 
law,  Roman  history,  Roman  life,  has  been  distinctly 
more  valuable  than  a  corresponding  study  of  things 
German,  to  which  I  have  also  given  much  attention  and 
from  which  I  have  derived  great  benefit. 

I  do  not  know,  of  course,  what  is  to  become  of  classi- 
cal study  in  this  country,  but  personally  I  should  regard 
it  as  a  great  blow  to  the  development  of  some  of  the 
finest  and  most  important  sides  of  American  life  if  the 
study  of  Greek  and  Latin  should  fall  to  the  relatively 
unimportant  place  now  occupied  by  the  study  of  As- 


STATEMENTS  189 

syrian  and  Babylonian,  as  some  people  think  it  is  bound 
to  do. 

I  think  one  is  oftentimes  inclined  to  attribute  what- 
ever small  success  he  may  have  had  in  any  line  to  the 
wrong  causes,  and  this  may  be  true  of  myself,  as  I  am 
sure  it  is  of  many  of  my  friends  and  colleagues  whose 
ideas  on  such  matters  seem  to  me  very  erroneous,  but  I 
have  felt  very  distinctly  that  in  the  preparation  for  the 
work  I  have  been  called  upon  to  do — a  somewhat  varied 
one  from  a  pedagogical  point  of  view — the  study  of 
Greek  and  Latin  grammar  and  Greek  and  Roman  his- 
tory and  Greek  and  Roman  literature  was  one  of  the 
most  valuable  elements. 

I  wish  you  great  success  in  keeping  before  the  Ameri- 
can people  the  importance  of  these  things  in  the  pres- 
ence of  such  retrograde  tendencies  as  it  seems  to  me 
some  of  our  most  prominent  pedagogues  are  displaying. 

M.  L.  BURTON 

President  of  the  University  of  Minnesota 

That  classical  studies  have  been  of  very  great  value 
to  many  persons  is  simply  a  matter  of  fact,  and  not  of 
opinion.  Their  value  moreover  has  not  been  purely 
cultural  but  intensely  practical.  That  multitudes  of 
students  who  have  pursued  classical  courses  have  not 
shared  very  fully  in  these  values  seems  equally  certain. 
The  vital  question  in  regard  to  the  classics,  therefore, 
so  far  as  it  concerns  our  colleges  and  universities,  cen- 
tres upon  the  position  which  is  given  the  classical 
studies.  It  would  seem  to  be  wise  not  to  require  all 
types  of  students  to  pursue  the  classics,  but  to  make 
sure  that  all  those  who  have  the  interest  in  and  aptitude 


190  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

for  such  studies  should  be  afforded  the  very  best  oppor- 
tunities and  facilities  for  acquiring  a  genuine  mastery 
of  the  languages  and  a  vital  appreciation  of  the  culture 
which  they  represent. 

BENJAMIN  IDE  WHEELER 

President   of  the   University   of   California 

It  is  my  experience  that  students  who  have  had  a 
sound  classical  training  in  their  earlier  years  make,  later 
on,  better  students  even  in  the  applied  sciences  than 
those  who  have  the  usual  haphazard  foundation. 

JAMES  A.  BLAISDELL 

President  of  Pomona  College,  California 

Your  request  for  a  brief  statement  regarding  my 
judgment  of  the  value  of  the  classics  gives  me  oppor- 
tunity once  more  to  renew  my  persistent  witness  to  this 
article  of  my  educational  confession  of  faith.  First  of 
all,  I  gladly  testify  to  my  indebtedness  to  a  classical 
training,  a  privilege  which  has  so  amplified  and  enriched 
my  life  that  I  cannot  adequately  express  the  obligation 
I  feel  to  those  who  directed  me  in  this  course.  And, 
secondly,  I  desire  to  say  that  I  feel  increasingly,  as  the 
years  go  by,  the  importance  of  such  training  not  only  in 
the  establishment  of  a  large  sense  of  human  values,  but 
also  as  creating  those  habits  of  accuracy  and  logic  which 
are  the  basis  of  the  whole  scientific  process. 

SIR  WILLIAM  PETERSON 

Principal  of  McGill  University,  Montreal 

The  appearance  of  Mr.  R.  W.  Livingstone's  book 
entitled  "A  Defence  of  Classical  Education"  (Mac- 


STATEMENTS  191 

millan  1916)  is  highly  opportune.  There  is  a  popular 
impression  that  the  war  is  going  to  turn  us  from  the 
classics  to  things  that  are  said  really  to  count,  such  as, 
for  instance,  ideally  perfect  processes  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  high  explosives!  We  hear  much  of  the  neglect 
of  science  and  there  is  a  demand  for  educational  recon- 
struction on  the  most  radical  lines.  But  the  truth  seems 
to  be  that  while  Germany  has  certainly  not  neglected 
physical  science  her  school  curriculum  continues  to  take 
more  account  of  Latin  and  Greek  than  is  the  case  either 
in  England  or  in  America.  This  is  how  Mr.  Living- 
stone, in  his  Introduction,  scores  the  point  that  educa- 
tion in  "scientific"  Germany  is  really  predominantly 
classical : 

(1)  The  makers  of  the  greatness  of  modern  Ger- 
many are  the  generations  educated  before  1900;  the  vast 
majority  of  these  were  educated  in  the  classical  Gym- 
nasium with  its  compulsory  Latin  and  Greek. 

(2)  Even  in  1911,  of  over  400,000  boys  receiving 
secondary    education   in    Germany,    240,000   were    at 
schools  in  which  Latin  is  compulsory,  and  170,000  of 
these  at  schools  where  Greek  is  compulsory  also. 

(3)  In  the  remaining,  purely  "modern"  Realschulen, 
so  far  from  physical  science  occupying  the  chief  place 
in  the  curriculum,  only  two  hours  out  of  twenty-five  a 
week  are  allotted  to  it  in  the  lowest  forms  and  six  out  of 
thirty-one  in  the  highest. 

No  doubt  the  whole  subject  is  hampered  by  consider- 
ations of  what  is  practically  possible  within  the  limita- 
tions of  the  school  curriculum  and  in  view  of  the  claims 
quite  properly  urged  on  behalf  of  new  subjects;  but  it 
may  still  be  doubted  whether  any  better  foundation  of 
training,  even  for  the  young  scientific  worker,  can  be 


192  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

provided  than  that  which  the  classical  languages  supply. 
In  the  higher  reaches  the  question  is  almost  outside  the 
sphere  of  controversy;  there  is  no  better  source  of  light 
and  stimulus  than  the  study  of  the  literature,  philos- 
ophy, history  and  art  of  the  classical  nations  of  an- 
tiquity. But  even  in  the  lower  stages  the  process  of 
learning,  say  Latin  grammar,  has  an  educational  value 
of  its  own.  Even  an  elementary  knowledge  of  this 
subject  is  the  best  key  to  all  language  study,  and  there 
is  little  danger  that  a  capable  boy  who  has  been  compe- 
tently taught  what  may  be  called  the  "logic  of  grammar" 
through  the  Latin  will  ever  reveal  himself  as  illiterate 
in  the  use  of  English.  The  trouble  on  this  continent  is 
that  there  is  a  considerable  tendency  to  belittle  language 
study  in  general.  Yet  who  can  doubt  that  Mr.  Living- 
stone is  right  in  his  view  that  "not  to  know  Latin  is  to 
have  missed  an  admirable  training  in  precise  and  logi- 
cal thought,"  and  that  especially  in  view  of  the  slipshod 
character  of  much  of  our  current  English  speaking  and 
writing,  it  is  a  "perpetual  discipline  of  accuracy  in 
thought  and  word,  and  a  rod  for  the  back  of  journalistic 
chattering"? 

My  own  review  of  the  whole  discussion,  and  the  con- 
fession of  my  faith,  may  be  found  by  those  interested  in 
a  paper  entitled  "The  Claims  of  Classical  Study  in 
Modern  Education"  which  forms  part  of  a  volume  of 
essays  recently  published.1  I  shall  conclude  by  re- 
peating the  words  used,  not  long  before  his  lamented 
death,  by  that  great  teacher  and  eminent  writer,  Samuel 
Henry  Butcher:  "So  long  as  there  is  felt  to  be  any  dis- 
tinction between  education  and  apprenticeship,  between 
training  of  the  mind  and  preparing  for  a  profession, 
between  disciplined  intellect  and  sharpening  of  the  wits, 

i  Canadian  Essays  and  Addresses,  Longmans,  1915,  pages  287-303. 


STATEMENTS  193 

so  long  will  the  classics  remain,  I  do  not  say  as  the  only 
instrument,  but  as  an  incomparable  instrument  in  a 
liberal  education." 

SIR  ROBERT  ALEXANDER  FALCONER 

President  of  the  University  of  Toronto 

Classical  studies  afford  a  unique  mental  discipline  in 
the  realms  of  thought  and  language.  One  of  the  most 
pressing  intellectual  and  moral  needs  of  the  modern 
world  is  precision  in  thought  and  an  exact  use  of  words. 
We  realize  what  we  mean  when  we  fit  what  we  have  to 
say  with  the  proper  expression.  Hitherto  no  better 
means  have  been  devised  for  providing  such  a  training 
in  the  use  of  language  than  the  study  of  Latin  and 
Greek. 

Greece  and  Rome  present  in  combination  a  finely  bal- 
anced manhood.  In  no  literature  are  the  fundamental 
problems  of  philosophy,  morals,  politics  and  histoiy  an- 
alyzed with  greater  incisiveness ;  and  in  the  epic,  drama 
and  oratory  standards  of  art  in  life  are  presented  in 
their  most  perfect  form. 

The  Greek  and  the  Roman  worlds  along  with  the 
Hebrew  underlie  most  of  what  is  best  in  our  present 
civilization;  for  this  reason  in  order  to  understand  even 
our  modern  life  the  educated  man  should  be  acquainted 
with  the  contributions  made  by  Greece  and  Rome. 

DANIEL  M.  GORDON 

Principal  of  Queen's  University,  Kingston,  Ontario 

You  ask  for  a  brief  statement  from  me  on  the  value 
of  classical  studies.  I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  continu- 
ing these  studies  in  the  position  they  occupy  alike  in 


194  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

Princeton  and  in  our  own  university.  It  is  still  an  un- 
answered question  what  good  substitute  the  opponents 
of  classical  education  could  offer  for  the  study  of  the 
classics,  especially  of  Latin. 

At  the  same  time,  I  think  that  it  should  now  be  re- 
garded as  worthy  at  least  of  serious  consideration 
whether  some  acquaintance  with  Greek  and  Latin  lit- 
erature and  history  might  not  be  acquired  through  Eng- 
lish translations  by  those  who  have  not  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  studying  the  original  languages,  or  of  acquir- 
ing sufficient  familiarity  with  them  to  derive  real  benefit 
and  enjoyment  from  them. 

EDGAR  ODELL  LOVETT 

President  of  the   Rice   Institute 
Houston,  Texas 

So  long  as  men  love  learning,  classical  studies  will 
live.  So  long  as  men  seek  truth  will  the  spirit  and 
service  of  science  endure.  And  in  beauty  and  holiness, 
religion  and  art  will  outlast  them  all.  These  are  the 
elements  of  a  civilization  that  traces  its  origins  to  Pales- 
tine and  Greece,  and  finds  its  sources  in  the  mingling 
of  streams  from  Athens  and  Sion  through  Rome.  Three 
main  currents  of  that  civilization — the  Rise  of  Chris- 
tianity, the  Revival  of  Learning,  the  Rise  of  Modern 
Science — each  in  its  turn  the  new  knowledge  in  conflict 
temporarily  with  the  old,  have  contributed  to  the  com- 
mon knowledge  of  cultivated  persons  in  all  civilized 
lands.  An  education  that  would  not  draw  heavily  from 
this  common  stock  could  hardly  be  called  liberal  either 
in  letters,  science,  or  art. 


STATEMENTS  195 

4.     SCHOOLS 
ALFRED  STEARNS 

Principal  of  the  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Massachusetts 
For  the  address  of  Principal  Stearns  see  page  44. 

LEWIS  PERRY 

Principal  of  The  Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  Exeter,  New  Hampshire 

The  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  has  always  stood  for 
what  may  be  called  the  old  fashioned  classical  education. 
We  realize  that  where  there  is  no  change,  there  is  no 
growth  and  no  progress,  but  we  believe  that  the  severe 
requirements  in  Latin  and  Greek  which  have  consti- 
tuted an  important  part  of  the  work  in  The  Phillips 
Exeter  Academy,  and  which  have  formed  a  tradition  in 
the  school,  are  one  of  the  great  assets  of  the  school  at  the 
present  time.  Until  certain  studies  have  proved  them- 
selves to  be  of  greater  value  than  Latin  and  Greek  in  a 
cultural  and  in  a  disciplinary  way,  the  curriculum  of 
The  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  will  continue  along  the 
present  lines. 

GEORGE  L.  PLIMPTON 

Principal  of  Tilton  Seminary,  Tilton,  New  Hampshire 

I  have  been  a  schoolmaster  for  twenty-five  years  and 
headmaster  of  one  of  the  old  New  England  academies 
for  twenty  years.  During  my  twenty-five  years  of 
teaching  I  have  seen  the  tendency  away  from  the 
classics,  especially  on  the  part  of  departments  of  public 
instruction,  and  in  connection  with  the  high  schools. 
Vocational  studies  such  as  mechanic  arts,  domestic 
science,  agriculture  and  commerce  are  doubtless  more 
directly  practical  for  certain  students  than  the  classics, 
yet  I  question  this  tendency  to  put  all  secondary  educa- 


196  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

tion  on  the  "bread  and  butter"  basis  or  on  the  so-called 
practical  basis.  I  personally  do  not  subscribe  to  the  en- 
tire abandonment  of  a  belief  in  mental  discipline. 
Whether  power  can  be  transferred  or  not,  I  think  I 
can  see  that  something  has  taken  place  in  the  minds  of 
boys  and  girls  who  have  had  four  years  of  Latin  and 
three  years  of  Greek.  There  is  a  strength  and  grasp  of 
mental  power  in  the  majority  of  those  who  have  had  a 
classical  training  that  is  not  found  in  the  majority  of 
those  who  have  taken  a  so-called  vocational  or  non- 
classical  course.  If  Daniel  Webster  were  in  the  schools 
of  Salisbury  today,  a  town  not  far  from  where  I  write, 
he  would  be  advised  to  take  an  agricultural  course  as  the 
course  most  likely  to  fit  him  for  his  probable  environ- 
ment. Instead  of  that  somebody  advised  and  encour- 
aged him  to  go  on  and  get  a  classical  education  and 
graduate  from  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  and  from 
Dartmouth  College.  Daniel  Webster  might  have  made 
an  eminent  New  Hampshire  farmer,  but  most  of  us 
New  Hampshire  people  like  to  believe  that  he  was  more 
useful  to  the  nation  for  the  training  which  he  received 
and  the  subsequent  career  that  he  followed  and  the  in- 
fluence that  he  achieved. 

I  notice  a  lack  not  only  in  pupils  who  have  not  had 
a  classical  training  but  in  candidates  for  teachers'  posi- 
tions and  in  young  teachers  who  have  come  from  col- 
lege with  little  or  no  training  in  Latin  and  Greek.  This 
is  apparent  in  certain  very  obvious  errors  in  the  use  of 
English,  particularly  in  reading  and  in  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  names  and  words  that  would  be  very  familiar  to 
every  student  of  the  classics. 

In  short,  I  can  not  see  how  one  can  well  understand 
English  literature  unless  he  has  had  some  training  and 
experience  in  classical  studies. 


STATEMENTS  197 

HENRY  PENNYPACKER 

Head  Master  of  Boston  Latin  School,  Boston,  Massachusetts 

I  regret  that  I  cannot  make  any  brief  statement  on 
the  value  of  classical  studies.  My  sermon  would  be 
long  and  tedious.  I  am  a  prejudiced  witness.  For  two 
hundred  eighty  years  both  Greek  and  Latin  were  re- 
quired of  every  boy  in  this  school  and  we  who  are 
steeped  in  the  school's  atmosphere,  who  value  its  influ- 
ence and  the  effect  of  its  traditions,  are  sure  that  its 
classical  course  is  responsible  in  great  measure  for  the 
high  degree  of  success  that  its  graduates  have  attained. 
Three  years  ago,  we  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  the  times 
and  admitted  German  into  our  course  as  an  alternative 
for  Greek,  but  it  has  by  no  means  supplanted  Greek  in 
the  school  and  at  the  present  time,  as  shown  by  our 
yearly  elections,  the  favor  of  the  boys  is  very  evenly  di- 
vided between  the  two  languages. 

There  is  no  trait  of  man  so  preeminently  human  as 
his  faculty  of  speech,  and  we  study  the  classics  because 
they  are  the  humanities  of  our  forefathers.  No  man  can 
get  a  just  appreciation  of  this  day's  civilization  without 
a  glimpse  at  least  of  the  glorious  past  and  a  breath  of  its 
atmosphere.  We  study  the  classics  to  develop  our  lan- 
guage sense,  to  add  refinement  and  happiness  to  life,  to 
develop  intellectual  and  spiritual  taste,  and  to  make  us 
men  stronger  than  our  fathers,  as  the  world  demands. 

ERNEST  G.  HAPGOOD 

Headmaster  of  Girls'  Latin  School,  Boston,  Mass. 

Note:  Dr.  Hapgood  has  sent  word  of  his  complete  sympathy  with  the 
cause  of  classical  education.  The  following  extract  is  part  of  a  statement 
recently  prepared  by  several  teachers  and  forwarded  by  him  to  show  the 
attitude  of  the  Girls'  Latin  School. 

Not  only  a  flexibility  in  the  use  of  English  may  be 


198  VALUE   OF   THE   CLASSICS 

gained  by  translating  the  classics  but  also  a  great  in- 
crease in  one's  vocabulary  and  a  power  to  discriminate 
between  the  shades  of  meaning  in  English  words,  from 
a  knowledge  of  their  Greek  or  Latin  originals. 

The  memory,  too,  is  trained,  for  it  is  necessary  not 
only  to  learn  all  the  common  Latin  or  Greek  forms  and 
the  vocabulary  of  the  most  common  words  and  to  under- 
stand the  most  important  principles  of  syntax,  but  to 
have  these  forms  and  words  and  grammatical  principles 
at  hand,  in  order  to  interpret  the  meaning  of  the  given 
passage.  Just  here  we  may  note  that  another  mental 
faculty  is  brought  into  play,  namely  the  judgment;  for 
the  proper  solution  of  the  given  problem  can  be  obtained 
only  by  the  most  careful  weighing  and  balancing  of  the 
different  meanings  and  the  selection  of  the  one  which 
seems  best  suited  to  the  context. 

Another  result,  nearly  as  important  as  those  already 
mentioned,  is  a  realization  on  the  part  of  the  pupil  of 
the  necessity  and  value  of  mental  work,  and  a  respect 
for  intellectual  effort. 

Furthermore,  the  student  of  the  classics  not  only 
learns  something  of  the  history  and  life  of  the  ancient 
Greeks  and  Romans,  but  from  his  contact  with  their 
writings  instinctively  pictures  their  surroundings  and 
thinks  their  thoughts,  is  actually  carried  back  to  their 
times,  and  lives  in  their  surroundings.  Hence  the  im- 
aginative faculty  is  stimulated  and  strengthened. 

In  conclusion,  "It  is  no  paradox  to  say  that  the  educa- 
tional value  of  classical  study  consists  largely  in  the  fact 
that  it  is  what  the  world  calls  'useless,'  so  that  there  is 
no  temptation  to  subordinate  it  to  unworthy  aims,  while 
on  the  other  hand  its  true  usefulness  is  beyond  question." 


STATEMENTS  199 

D.  O.  S.  LOWELL 

Headmaster  of  Roxbury  Latin  School,  Boston,  Mass. 

One  of  the  many  arguments  for  classical  studies  is 
the  fact  that  they  are  the  key  to  English  literature.  If 
literature  has  value — and  even  the  Philistine  will 
scarcely  deny  that — whatever  renders  it  more  compre- 
hensible is  also  valuable.  Who  that  has  not  drunk  of 
the  springs  of  antiquity  can  appreciate  Milton's  poetry 
or  Bacon's  prose,  not  to  mention  the  writings  of  a  hun- 
dred inferior  authors?  Can  one  enjoy  oratory  to  the 
full  and  know  nothing  of  Cicero  and  Hortensius,  of 
Demosthenes  and  Pericles?  or  poetry,  if  he  is  ignorant 
of  Aeschylus  and  Homer  and  Virgil?  And  so  we  may 
run  through  the  gamut  of  all  English  literature  since 
Chaucer's  day  and  find  ourselves  deaf  to  the  harmonies 
of  overtones  and  undertones,  unless  our  ears  are  trained 
and  tuned  to  catch  the  echoes  of  the  ages  past. 

It  is  said  that  we  may  know  the  classics  through 
translations.  That  is  either  sophistry  or  ignorance.  We 
may  recognize  them,  but  we  shall  never  know  them. 
Who  can  copy  the  Aphrodite  of  Melos,  or  a  painting  by 
Raphael  so  that  his  work  will  have  half  the  value  of  the 
original?  Yet  such  work  may  be  much  nearer  to  repro- 
duction than  any  translation  of  a  great  author  can  be. 

"Some  there  be  that  by  due  steps  aspire 
To  lay  their  just  hands  on  the  golden  key"; 

to  such  the  classics  make  appeal,  and  ever  will,  be  their 
numbers  great  or  small ;  while  others  will  advance  argu- 
ments (by  no  means  new)  to  make  the  worse  appear  the 
better  cause,  and  to  prove  that  pinchbeck  is  more  valu- 
able than  gold.  As  Bacon  says,  in  his  "Advancement 
of  Learning": 


200  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

"I  do  not  pretend,  and  I  know  it  will  be  impossible 
for  me,  by  any  pleading  of  mine  to  reverse  the  judg- 
ment, either  of  Aesop's  cock,  or  of  Midas,  or  of  Paris, 
or  of  Agrippina,  or  of  a  number  of  the  like  popular 
judgments.  For  these  things  continue  as  they  have 
been,  but  so  will  that  also  continue  whereupon  learning 
hath  ever  relied,  and  which  faileth  not:  Justificata  est 
sapientia  a  filiis  suis" 

ENDICOTT  PEABODY 

Head  Master  of  Groton  School,  Groton,  Mass. 

I  have  got  Mr.  Sturgis,  the  head  of  our  classical 
department,  to  jot  down  a  few  memoranda  concerning 
the  value  of  classical  studies.  I  may  add,  for  my  part, 
that  I  endorse  all  that  he  says. 

In  my  opinion  classical  studies  are  today  of  peculiar 
value : 

1st — As  one  of  the  subjects  best  adapted  to  develop- 
ing accurate  and  intelligent  habits  of  mental  activity. 

2nd — As  an  almost  necessary  foundation  for  the  use 
of  correct  and  forcible  English. 

3d — As  a  necessary  background  for  the  appreciation 
of  literature  in  general. 

4th — As  developing  in  a  select  number  of  pupils  a 
real  love  of  Greek  and  Latin  literature,  which  will  be  a 
lifelong  source  of  pleasure  and  an  inspiration  to  crea- 
tive work. 

WILLIAM  G.  THAYEE 

Head  Master  of  St.  Mark's  School,  Southborough,  Mass. 

My  experience  of  thirty  years  as  a  schoolmaster  con- 
firms my  conviction  that  the  need  of  the  classics  in  liber- 
al education  is  greater  today  than  ever.  I  shall  be  glad 


STATEMENTS  201 

to  join  in  any  protest  against  tendencies  in  education 
which  would  eliminate  Latin  and  Greek  from  the  train- 
ing of  a  scholar. 

CHARLES  A.  BUFFUM 

Professor  of  Latin,  Williston  Seminary,  Easthampton,  Mass. 

Williston  Seminary  was  founded  in  1841  as  a  classi- 
cal school,  and  though  we  now  have  full  courses  in  ad- 
vanced mathematics,  science  and  modern  languages,  we 
still  offer  full  courses  in  Latin  or  Greek,  and  consider 
them  indispensable  to  the  best  type  of  liberal  education. 
We  think  that  nothing  is  more  essential  to  the  man  of 
culture  than  the  intimate  knowledge  of  his  own  lan- 
guage, and  the  ability  to  use  it  with  ease,  force,  grace 
and  precision.  And  we  consider  the  critical  study  of 
Latin  or  Greek  the  only  means  of  attaining  this  end. 

We  think  that  since  mathematics,  science  or  modern 
languages  have  so  occupied  the  front  of  the  educational 
stage,  we  have  observed  a  lamentable  deterioration  in 
scholarship.  It  is  only  the  exceptional  pupil,  nowadays, 
who  manifests  that  eagerness  and  zeal  for  knowledge 
which  is  implied  in  the  very  root  meanings  of  the  word 
"study."  We  believe  too,  that  there  is  a  refining  influ- 
ence in  the  study  of  the  masterpieces  of  Latin  and 
Greek  literature.  The  pupil  who  has  learned  to  appre- 
ciate beauty  of  thought  and  language  in  his  Virgil  or  his 
Homer  will  be  the  more  swift  to  recognize  and  appre- 
ciate beauty  of  form  in  sculpture,  and  beauty  of  form 
and  color  in  painting,  and  so  to  become  a  man  of  good 
taste  and  refined  sensibilities. 

Add  to  this  the  fact  that  no  mental  discipline  has  yet 
been  found  superior  to  that  afforded  by  the  critical 
study  of  the  classics,  and  we  have  reason  enough  to  claim 


202  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

that  classical  studies  should  occupy  a  prominent  part 
in  the  training  of  a  liberally  educated  man. 

SEAVER  B.  BUCK 

Headmaster  of  Berkshire  School,  Sheffield,  Mass. 

I  am  glad  to  go  on  record  as  a  schoolmaster  who  be- 
lieves in  the  study  of  the  classics — particularly  Latin — 
as  the  only  adequate  foundation  for  the  study  of  modern 
languages.  As  a  means  of  mere  training  in  mental  ac- 
curacy I  see  no  advantage  in  classical  studies  over 
mathematics,  but  the  boy  who  would  seek  good  success 
in  only  language  study  and  who  would  desire  to  acquire 
a  style  at  once  facile,  accurate  and  vigorous,  should  be 
thoroughly  grounded  in  both  Latin  and  Greek.  I 
would  make  Latin  a  requirement  for  all  boys  in  the 
earlier  years  of  the  preparation  for  college  but  I  would 
not  insist  that  they  continue  either  Greek  or  Latin  be- 
yond the  "elementary"  requirement  in  the  case  of  boys 
who  seek  a  scientific  training. 

CHARLES  S.  INGHAM 

Master  of  Dummer  Academy,  South  Byfield,  Mass. 

In  this  matter  the  position  of  the  school  is  the  same 
as  it  was  a  century  and  a  half  ago  when  Master  Moody 
taught  here  his  famous  group  of  boys.  In  some  way  or 
other,  using  little  besides  Latin  and  Greek,  he  prepared 
men  for  great  careers  in  all  walks  of  life.  As  compared 
with  the  modern  preparatory  course,  his  students  cov- 
ered but  little  ground  but  they  knew  what  they  knew 
and  knew  that  they  knew  it. 

We  still  believe  that  the  classics  give  a  great  teacher 
the  best  means  of  impressing  his  ideals  and  personality 


STATEMENTS  203 

upon  his  students  afforded  by  any  curriculum.  Most 
of  us  who  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  edu- 
cation look  back  to  some  teacher  of  Latin  or  Greek  as 
the  commanding  figure  among  those  who  have  taught 
us.  I  know  this  to  be  a  fact  in  many  cases. 

In  fighting  for  the  classics  we  are  fighting  for  the 
proposition  that  the  interest  which  abides  is  that  which 
follows  hard  work  rather  than  that  which  precedes  it. 
In  no  way  of  which  I  am  aware  can  we  protest  so  ef- 
fectively against  the  shallow  and  superficial  in  educa- 
tion as  by  keeping  the  classics  in  the  curriculum  and  by 
holding  ourselves,  our  subordinates  and  our  students 
to  that  high  standard  of  work  which  our  own  teachers 
so  consistently  exemplified  in  their  teaching  of  Latin 
and  Greek. 

D.  W.  ABERCROMBIE 

Principal  of  Worcester  Academy,  Worcester,  Mass. 

How  far  distant  seem  the  days  when,  with  the  purpose 
to  practice  law,  I  still  read  Plato  with  George  Herbert 
Palmer,  Euripides  and  the  Philippics  with  Frank  An- 
derson, Cicero's  Letters  with  William  Everett,  and 
Plautus  and  Lucretius,  strange  contrasts,  with  George 
Martin  Lane.  As  I  look  back  upon  those  days,  and  re- 
call the  men  who  with  me  received  this  training  as  under- 
graduates in  Harvard,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  Harvard 
College  at  that  time  failed  in  its  high  purpose  to  train 
young  men  for  useful  and  happy  lives.  The  full  scheme 
of  its  young  president,  it  is  true,  was  not  yet  in  opera- 
tion. The  classics  were  still  enthroned,  though  elective 
after  the  first  two  years. 

As  the  careers  of  many  of  my  classmates  thus  trained 
under  the  old  curriculum  are  reviewed,  there  would  not 


204  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

seem  to  be  lacking  energizing  and  man  making  material 
in  the  Bildungstoff  of  those  days.  Among  them  were 
Percival  Lowell,  the  astronomer;  Benjamin  Osgood 
Pierce,  the  eminent  physicist;  Edmund  March  Wheel- 
wright, the  builder  of  stately  bridges,  a  modern  Ponti- 
fex  McuEimus;  Oscar  Roland  Jackson,  the  chemist ; 
Francis  Cabot  Lowell  and  William  Henry  Mooney, 
jurisconsults;  Charles  Franklin  Thwing,  educator,  and 
Barrett  Wendell  and  George  Edward  Woodberry,  men 
of  letters. 

These  men,  representing  a  modest  Harvard  class  of 
the  classical  period,  show  a  variety  of  power  and  attain- 
ment that  would  free  any  curriculum  from  the  charge  of 
inefficiency.  President  Eliot  and  the  late  Charles 
Francis  Adams  were  together  the  great  protagonists 
of  the  modern  curriculum,  the  one  seeking  to  turn  Har- 
vard College  into  a  German  university,  as  the  latter 
repeatedly  charged,  and  Mr.  Adams  uttering  his  de- 
structive Phi  Beta  Kappa  oration  against  Greek  as  a 
"college  fetich,"  and  living  long  enough  to  see  his  mis- 
take and  repent  it.  If  memory  serves  me  correctly 
Pierce,  who  at  his  burial  was  called  "the  sage  and  saint 
of  the  University,"  elected  a  course  in  Greek  in  his  senior 
year,  profound  mathematician  and  physicist  as  he  was, 
to  convince  a  group  of  personal  friends  that  he  was 
broad  minded  and  that  he  sought  culture  along  with  the 
training  of  the  exact  sciences. 

President  Eliot  and  Mr.  Adams,  who  did  more  than 
any  other  men  to  slay  true  cultural  training  in  the  house 
of  its  friends,  were  themselves  conspicuous  examples  of 
what  great  native  endowments,  touched  by  the  humani- 
ties, can  accomplish  in  the  lives  of  men.  The  great 
president's  condensed,  reserved,  lucid  style  fills  out  the 


STATEMENTS  205 


fullness  of  the  measure  of  the  Greek  pijSev  ayav.  Thucy- 
dides  never  used  a  more  chaste,  coherent,  convincing 
prose.  Mr.  Adams,  during  the  days  of  his  apostasy, 
never  ceased  censuring  the  Harvard  that  President 
Eliot  succeeded  in  creating  out  of  the  college  as  he 
found  it.  He  saw  more  clearly  as  he  grew  older, 
and  recanted  his  heresy.  But  it  was  too  late.  The  fatal 
blow  had  been  given,  and  Greek  was  dethroned. 

A  great  geographer  within  the  last  month,  with  Ger- 
many clearly  in  mind,  asked  me:  "Will  science  ever 
again  be  used  for  the  amelioration  and  blessing  of  man- 
kind?" My  friend's  question  suggests  how  wholly  lost 
from  the  great  world  of  organized  civilization,  as  we 
had  fondly  thought  it,  is  the  old  Greek  thought  of  the 
moderation  in  wisdom  of  our  desires  and  our  emotions, 
our  cults  and  our  philosophies.  What  have  the  chemists 
of  Germany  produced  in  their  laboratories,  out  of  minds 
bent  on  destruction,  but  engines  of  destruction,  until 
German  science  has  become  almost  another  word  for 
German  ruthlessness  ?  How  much  has  been  lost  to  the 
world  when  we  look  on  the  resulting  desolations  that 
have  been  wrought  through  the  loss  of  the  fine  equili- 
brium of  feelings  and  desires  of  the  ancient  prime  of  the 
Greek  world.  "Will  science  ever  again  be  used  for  the 
amelioration  and  blessing  of  mankind?"  And  when? 

Turning  to  the  patent  results  of  the  failure  of  culture 
of  the  spirit  and  mind,  that  lie  all  about  us  in  the  slov- 
enly and  distressing  level  to  which  much  of  life  and 
many  of  the  expressions  of  human  intercourse  have 
fallen,  we  have  only  to  note  the  decadence,  almost  the 
death,  of  polite  speech,  and  consequently  of  politeness 
in  most  ways,  as  it  is  found  today  not  only  among  school 
boys  and  girls,  but  in  college  communities  as  well. 


206  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

"Where  there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish,"  is  the  suf- 
ficient comment.  There  has  been  little  antidote  to  the 
influences  of  vast  and  widespread  wealth  and  ease.  The 
debasing  low  priced  magazine  and  short  story,  the 
cheaply  emotional  "movie,"  the  whirling  automobile,  all 
these  conspire  to  produce  the  cheap,  purposeless  boy 
and  equally  cheap  and  frivolous  girl;  and  seemingly 
there  is  no  adequate  corrective  at  work.  Milton  and 
Shakespeare  have  no  meaning  and  value,  much  less 
picturesque  attractiveness  and  food  for  the  mind  for 
those  who  have  no  enrichment  of  vocabulary  or  taste 
through  acquaintance,  even  in  small  degree,  with  Virgil 
and  Homer. 

WILLIAM  C.  HILL 

Principal  of  The  Central  High  School,  Springfield,  Mass. 

I  am  glad  to  send  you  my  testimony  to  the  value  of 
classics  in  the  best  type  of  liberal  education.  I  might 
go  much  more  into  detail,  but  the  above  sentence  covers 
my  feeling  in  this  matter.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  say- 
ing that  my  pupils  who  have  had  a  thorough  course  in 
Latin  are  better  off  mentally  than  those  who  are  with- 
out it.  In  taste,  judgment  and  intellectual  power  I 
know  of  no  other  high  school  subject  which  gives  equal 
results. 

WILLIAM  T.  PECK 

Principal  of  The  Classical  High  School,  Providence,  R.  I. 

Webster's  New  International  Dictionary,  edited  by 
William  T.  Harris,  is  a  work  of  incomparable  value. 
It  is  meant  for  the  use  of  all  educated  men  who  speak 
the  English  language.  It  would  be  a  calamity  if  they, 


STATEMENTS  207 

because  of  a  complete  ignorance  of  the  ancient  lan- 
guages, could  not  profit  from  a  study  of  the  greater 
part  of  its  vocabulary  as  the  dictionary  presents  it,  de- 
rived from  the  Latin  and  the  Greek.  Latin,  too,  is  the 
universal  language  of  botany.  Greek  furnishes  the 
basis  of  the  ever  enlarging  vocabulary  of  modern  sci- 
ence. As  language  is  an  endowment  that  distinguishes 
man  from  the  beasts,  its  structure  and  development 
must  be  of  the  greatest  practical  value  to  him.  Forty- 
five  years  of  experience  as  a  teacher  have  convinced  me 
that  there  is  no  surer  means  of  promoting  the  power  of 
the  intellect  than  the  study  of  languages,  especially  the 
Latin  and  the  Greek,  which  are  not  only  the  vehicle  but 
also  almost  the  very  life  of  thought. 

SETH  K.  GIFFOBD 

Principal  of  the  Moses  Brown  School,  Providence,  R.  I. 

From  my  experience  and  opportunity  for  observation 
during  forty  years  (twenty  in  college  and  twenty  in 
school),  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  record 
for  business  efficiency  and  professional  standing  lies 
strictly  in  favor  of  the  boy  with  a  classical  training. 

Even  if  we  admit  that  a  part  of  this  advantage  is 
chargeable  to  superior  mental  endowment  on  the  part 
of  boys  who  have  pursued  this  antiquated  and  useless 
line  of  study,  there  is  still  a  large  balance  in  their  favor. 

If,  in  addition,  we  consider  higher  spiritual  values, 
such  as  a  man's  satisfaction  with  himself  or  his  general 
usefulness  in  society,  the  case  is  still  stronger. 

I  give  my  vote,  therefore,  for  the  classics  in  education 
and  shall  continue  to  do  so  until  I  have  more  compelling 
reasons  than  at  present  for  a  change  of  mind  and  heart. 


£08  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

GEORGE  L.  Fox 

Principal  of  The  University  School,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

I  doubt  whether  there  is  any  one  in  active  service  as 
a  teacher  who  has  taught  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time 
more  boys  preparing  for  Yale  than  I  have  had  as  my 
pupils.  If  the  future  generation  of  youth  is  to  be 
trained  largely  without  Latin,  I  shall  be  sorry  for  them 
for  what  they  have  missed,  and  confidently  predict  that 
they  will  be  painfully  weak  and  flabby  in  intellectual 
work,  painfully  superficial  and  narrow  minded,  and 
painfully  inefficient  in  becoming  masters  of  the  situation 
in  dealing  with  hard  problems  in  any  professional  work. 

Possibly  my  opinions  on  this  point  may  not  be  wholly 
valueless,  if  I  say  that  during  the  last  fifteen  years  it 
has  been  my  regular  task  to  teach  all  the  ordinary  sub- 
jects, required  for  admission  to  college,  except  the 
sciences,  including  French,  German,  mathematics,  an- 
cient and  modern  history  and  English.  That  has  given 
me  an  excellent  opportunity  to  judge  of  the  value  of 
different  subjects  in  teaching  boys  to  think,  and  I  un- 
hesitatingly and  vigorously  record  my  conviction  that 
the  study  of  Latin  is  one  of  the  best  possible  means  for 
attaining  that  end  which  I  look  upon  as  the  main  end 
of  education. 

ARTHUR  B.  WOODFORD 

Headmaster  of  Hopkins  Grammar  School,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Please  enroll  me  as  one  most  strongly  in  favor  of  clas- 
sical studies  and  a  form  of  education  primarily  cultural. 


STATEMENTS  209 

EDWARD  H.  SMILEY 

Principal  Emeritus  of  Hartford  Public  High  School,  Hartford,  Conn. 

The  Hartford  Public  School  has,  throughout  its  long 
history,  believed  heartily  in  the  value  of  classical  train- 
ing. It  holds  steadfastly  to  that  belief  today.  After 
an  experience  of  more  than  twenty-five  years  in  the 
school,  I  can  say  in  all  sincerity  that  I  believe  no  de- 
partment of  the  school  has  had  so  strong  an  influence  in 
maintaining  scholarly  ideals.  It  seems  to  me  that  it 
would  be  disastrous  to  the  cause  of  education  if  the  ideas 
of  Mr.  Flexner  and  others  of  his  kind  should  get  con- 
trol of  our  educational  work. 

H.  G.  BUEHLER 

Headmaster  of  The  Hbtchkiss  School,  Lakeville,  Conn. 

We  think  so  highly  of  Latin  at  the  Hotchkiss  School 
that  we  require  it  of  every  pupil,  whether  the  college 
for  which  he  is  preparing  requires  it  or  not.  We  think 
the  practical  value  of  a  knowledge  of  Latin  is  not  in- 
considerable to  a  cultivated  gentleman.  Entirely  apart 
from  this,  we  think  that  Latin  is  a  better  instrument 
for  training  in  mental  concentration  than  any  substitute 
which  has  been  offered.  We  do  not  accept  the  theory 
that  "interest"  is  the  chief  motive  to  be  appealed  to  in 
education.  We  think  that  most  men  who  work  with 
their  brains  have  to  do  the  job  which  is  set  before  them 
day  by  day  whether  they  are  interested  in  it  particularly 
or  not.  We  do  not  know  any  way  to  train  pupils  into 
the  power  of  application  except  the  old  fashioned  way 
of  setting  them  a  mental  task  and  making  them  do  it. 
For  such  training  of  the  will  as  applied  to  study  we  like 
Latin. 


210  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

HENRY  A.  TERRELL 

Principal  of  the  Norwich  Free  Academy,  Norwich,  Conn. 

The  problem  of  liberal  education — and  I  take  the 
view  that  liberal  training  should  be  carried  on  in  any 
individual's  career  up  to  the  point  where  efficiency  de- 
mands specialization,  whether  in  profession  or  trade — 
is  essentially  the  problem  of  developing  habits  and 
ideals.  The  "Columbia"  school,  which  insists  that  "men- 
tal power  is  non-transferable,"  cannot  touch  the  truth 
that  habits  and  ideals  are  universal,  and  therefore  trans- 
ferable. 

For  the  development  of  right  habits  and  lofty  ideals 
no  subjects  have  proved  themselves  so  valuable  for  most 
young  people  as  the  classics  and  mathematics.  Habits 
are  formed  and  ideals  are  acquired  not  so  much  by  direct 
presentation  of  thrilling  examples  of  noble  action  as 
by  the  slow  process  of  daily  effort. 

ROLAND  J.  MULFORD 

Headmaster  of  Ridgefield  School,  Ridgefield,  Conn. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  question  of  method  is  the  im- 
portant one.  The  time  allowed  by  the  college  require- 
ments is  not  enough  for  all  the  subjects;  and  the  diffi- 
culty with  our  present  education  is  in  the  number  of 
studies.  Too  many  are  required,  and  none  can  be  well 
taught  or  well  learned.  Superficiality  is  the  necessary 
result.  If  there  were  time  to  teach  Latin  or  Greek  and 
a  few  other  essentials  it  would  be  satisfactory,  and  it  is 
not  now.  Efficiency  is  not  the  sole  aim  of  education,  nor 
materialism  its  goal;  interest  is  most  often  a  transient 
motive,  and  the  elective  system  is  not  possible  in  schools. 
The  fundamentals  of  education  are  the  concern  of 


STATEMENTS  211 

schools,  and  in  them  must  be  laid  the  foundations  on 
which  the  colleges  and  universities  build ;  a  good  founda- 
tion makes  the  rest  easy.  The  diversity  of  the  school 
curriculum  is  its  evil;  non  multa  sed  multum  should  be 
its  motto,  and  it  is  now  the  reverse. 

A  very  practical  value  of  classical  study  lies  in  the 
training  in  a  highly  inflected  language.  Any  other  lan- 
guage is  much  more  easily  learned  after  Latin  or  Greek 
has  been  studied.  The  beginning  of  any  language  is 
difficult,  and  the  mistake  is  in  dropping  the  classics  after 
the  hard  part  has  been  learned.  It  is  certainly  worth 
while  for  English  speaking  people  to  learn  Latin;  a 
much  larger  vocabulary  is  acquired,  and  at  least  the 
distinctions  in  meanings  and  in  the  use  of  words  are 
never  lost,  however  much  else  may  be  forgotten. 

GEORGE  E.  QUAILE 

Headmaster  of  Salisbury  School,  Salisbury,  Conn. 

Classical  studies,  if  properly  directed,  make  for  care- 
fulness of  expression  and  against  slovenliness.  An 
American  boy  may  dislike  the  difficulties  of  ancient  lan- 
guages, but  he  dare  not  take  liberties  in  translating 
them,  such  as  he  takes  in  other  language  work.  Is  it 
not  true  that  the  English  of  a  boy  trained  in  the  classics 
is  in  general  better  than  that  of  a  boy  who  has  not  had 
that  training?  Even  if  he  should  do  no  more  Latin  or 
Greek,  or  no  more  Latin  alone,  than  is  done  in  second- 
ary schools  he  will  be  apt  to  show  the  effect  not  only 
in  his  English  but  in  his  increased  respect  for  beauty 
of  expression  in  any  form  whatsoever.  For  that  reason 
if  for  no  other  I  should  like  to  see  all  boys  mentally 
capable,  and  all  are  not,  given  the  privilege  of  some 
study  in  the  classics. 


212  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

GEORGE  C.  ST.  JOHN 

Headmaster  of  The  Choate  School,  Wallingford,  Conn. 

To  most  of  us  the  value  of  the  classics  does  not  re- 
quire argument ;  and  to  anybody  who  needs  persuasion, 
Mr.  Stearns's  article  of  last  winter  in  the  Atlantic  would 
seem  to  me  to  be  final.  I  almost  think  that  arguing 
about  the  value  of  the  classics  is  the  same  thing  as  argu- 
ing about  the  value  of  religion  or  of  culture. 

WILLIAM  T.  BETTS 

Belts  Tutoring  School,  Stamford,  Conn. 

While  headmaster  of  Betts  Academy  I  used  to  say: 
"Other  things  being  equal,  give  me  the  football  man 
every  time."  In  developing  boys  for  engineering  courses, 
other  things  being  equal,  give  me  the  one  with  a  classical 
training  back  of  him,  every  time.  In  engineering  ca- 
reers, besides  personality,  is  it  not  intellectual  power 
that  enables  a  man  to  rise  to  the  top  ?  You  can  not  leave 
out  the  classics. 

In  meeting  college  entrance  requirements,  Milton 
and  Virgil  are  studied  the  same  year.  When  a  boy 
takes  up  Virgil  he  breaks  away  from  the  trammels  of 
grammatical  constructions,  he  sees  the  pictures  as  Vir- 
gil saw  them,  he  describes  them  in  English  poetic  prose, 
as  Virgil  describes  them  in  Latin  hexameters.  Then 
the  student  is  able  to  comprehend  Milton  and  the  poets. 

Why  the  opposition  to  the  classics?  May  it  not  arise 
from  the  catering  on  the  part  of  the  universities  to  the 
desire  to  get  into  life's  work  in  the  shortest  time  on 
lines  of  least  resistance? 

Shall  we  call  history  a  cheat?  Did  not  the  world 
emerge  from  the  Dark  Ages  through  going  back  to  the 


STATEMENTS  213 

study  of  the  classics?  Suppose  it  does  take  more  time 
if  classical  studies  are  retained.  What  is  a  year  or  more 
taken  out  of  the  teens  compared  with  intellectual  power, 
with  intellectual  enjoyment,  with  intellectual  finish  in 
the  decades  that  follow? 

Of  the  debts  I  owe  to  the  memory  of  my  father,  not 
the  least  is  that  he  sent  me  to  college  well  grounded  in 
Latin,  Greek,  French  and  German. 

ARTHUR  H.  CUTLER 

Headmaster  of  The  Cutler  School,  New  York 

From  long  experience  as  a  teacher  and  headmaster, 
I  am  convinced  that  the  study  of  the  classics  not  only 
helps  to  an  appreciation  of  good  literature  and  good 
reading  but  helps  fully  as  much  to  accuracy  and  good 
style  in  the  use  of  the  English  language.  The  writers 
of  the  future  will  be  sadly  handicapped  if  they  have  only 
modern  languages  and  science  and  mathematics  to  help 
them.  Of  course,  the  elements  of  all  these  are  neces- 
sary. The  best  mathematician  I  know  reads  two  pages 
of  Latin  or  Greek  each  day. 

WALTER  R.  MARSH 

Headmaster  of  St.  Paul's  School,  Garden  City,  N.  Y. 

The  position  of  Saint  Paul's  School  in  the  matter  of 
classical  training  is  this: 

We  believe  absolutely  that  power  is  transferable. 
For  example,  we  believe  that  an  engineer  should  have 
a  trained  imagination,  and  we  know  of  no  better  way  to 
train  his  imagination  than  through  the  study  of  poetry. 
We  believe  thoroughly  in  classical  training  because  of 
its  disciplinary  value.  We  believe  that  Latin  has  this 
disciplinary  value  because  it  is  a  highly  inflected  Ian- 


214,  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

guage.  If  we  could  find  another  language  equally  in- 
flected we  should  be  unwilling  to  substitute  it  for  Latin 
because  we  see  the  value  of  Latin  from  a  great  many 
angles — historical,  governmental,  biographical,  logical, 
and  especially  from  the  literary  angle. 

We  have  sympathy  with  wise  experimentation  in  edu- 
cation; we  look  with  little  sympathy  and  some  amuse- 
ment on  the  propagandists  now  attempting  destructive 
criticism  of  the  solid  foundations  of  centuries.  We  are 
willing  to  learn,  and  yet,  until  we  can  discover  some- 
thing better,  we  shall  cling  to  the  old,  because  we  believe 
the  old  is  worth  while. 

JAMES  C.  MACKENZIE 

Headmaster  of  the  Mackenzie  School,  Monroe,  N.  Y. 

As  I  turn  my  mind  back  some  forty-five  years  to  the 
teaching  of  some  five  thousand  American  boys,  I  think 
I  may  safely  say  that  the  marked  success  of  these  stu- 
dents has  been  among  those  who  have  taken  the  solid 
classical  course  of  study.  While  the  record  of  the  com- 
paratively few  boys  who  have  omitted  Latin  from  their 
school  and  college  course  has  been  as  a  matter  of  course 
more  satisfactory  than  it  would  have  been  without  the 
training  received  along  scientific  lines,  the  record  of  the 
men  who  have  taken  Latin  both  in  school  and  college 
has  been,  by  and  large,  distinctly  more  notable  than  of 
the  non-Latin  men.  The  very  best  record  has  been  made 
by  those  who  have  taken  Greek. 

In  offering  this  appreciation  of  classical  studies,  I 
am  not  limiting  my  consideration  to  men  who  have 
gone  only  into  literary  or  professional  life  work.  I 
have  in  mind  men  also  who  have  attained  prominence 
in  statesmanship  and  in  purely  business  careers. 


STATEMENTS  215 

HENRY  B.  WARREN 

Principal  of  The  Albany  Academy,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

When  in  England  a  few  years  ago  I  found  many 
of  the  English  people  apparently  engaged  in  a  some- 
what acrimonious  discussion  as  to  the  comparative 
merits  of  the  English  and  the  Continental  diet.  One 
morning  there  appeared,  I  think  in  the  Telegraph,  a 
letter  something  like  this: 

"Why  change  our  diet  of  roast  beef,  roast  mutton, 
chops,  bacon  and  a  simple  sweet,  which  for  centuries 
has  nourished  the  sturdiest  people  in  Europe  and  has 
proved  so  digestible  and  nourishing  that  with  slight 
modifications  every  hospital  has  adopted  it  as  diet  for 
invalids  and  convalescents?" 

Is  not  that  about  all  there  is  of  the  question? 

The  heads  of  high  schools  and  preparatory  schools 
have  the  key  to  the  situation.  Let  them  discourage 
weak  boys  and  girls  from  attempting  the  most  difficult 
of  languages — the  Latin — and  mildly  insist  that  strong 
boys  and  girls  take  it  and  give  it  to  them  intelligently. 
Not  less  Latin  and  better,  but  more  Latin  and  better. 
Greek  will  take  care  of  itself  if  taste  for  Latin  is  ac- 
quired. 

FREDERICK  L.  GAMAGE 

Headmaster  of  Pawling  School,  Pawling,  N.  Y. 

I  should  be  recreant  to  myself  and  to  the  educational 
ideals  of  my  entire  teaching  career  if  I  failed  to  record 
my  belief,  when  it  was  called  for,  and  my  deep  convic- 
tion that  the  elimination  of  the  classics  from  modern 
education  would  be  fatal  to  real  culture  of  the  mind. 
Granting  that  the  classics  are  imperfectly  taught  in 
many  schools,  that  pupils  get  but  fleeting  glimpses  of 


216  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

the  real  beauties  of  the  languages  and  only  vague  no- 
tions of  the  subject  matter  of  the  ancient  authors,  there 
remains  the  undeniable  value  that  comes  from  the  exer- 
cise of  memory,  logic,  comparison  and  analysis  that  is 
derived  from  the  study  of  the  grammar  of  the  classics 
and  from  translation  into  our  own  vernacular.  I  am 
entirely  out  of  sympathy  with  those  who  advocate  the 
substitution  of  modern  languages,  no  matter  how  thor- 
oughly taught,  for  the  study  of  the  classics. 

S.  J.  McPHERSON 

Headmaster  of  Lawrenceville  School,  Lawrenceville,  N.  J. 

I  favor  the  classics,  especially  Latin,  as  an  essential 
element  in  the  best  type  of  liberal  education  (but  not, 
of  course,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  history,  literature  and 
life  of  other  peoples  and  periods),  because  it  is  the 
fountain  from  which  much  of  our  later  civilization  has 
flowed.  My  experience  in  schools  and  colleges  has  con- 
firmed these  views  because  I  have  witnessed  the  effects 
of  classical  culture  in  many  students. 

JOHN  C.  SHARPE 

Principal  of  Blair  Academy,  Blairstown,  New  Jersey 

I  am  fully  convinced  from  observation  extending  over 
a  long  service  as  a  schoolmaster,  and  the  statistics  of 
my  own  school,  that  the  best  students  in  the  classes  are 
almost  invariably  the  students  who  take  the  full  four 
years  course  in  Latin.  Perhaps  your  convention  will 
be  able  to  determine  whether  the  ablest  boys  take  Latin 
or  whether  the  study  of  Latin  develops  the  ablest  boys. 
In  my  judgment,  the  boy  of  ability  much  below  the 
average  had  better  not  undertake  a  four  years  course 
in  Latin  for  he  will  hardly  be  able  to  realize  the  ad- 
vantages that  come  from  the  long  sustained  effort. 


STATEMENTS  217 

Only  the  boy  who  has  ability  to  hold  up  well  through 
the  four  years  will  realize  the  fullest  benefit.  I  believe 
that  the  four  years  of  consecutive  study  of  one  reason- 
ably difficult  subject  is  much  more  valuable  than  the 
same  amount  of  study  spent  on  four  different  subjects. 
No  subject  in  our  curriculum  is  so  well  adapted  to  this 
end  as  Latin. 

ROBERT  ELLIS  THOMPSON 

President  of  The  Central  High  School,  Philadelphia 

For  some  twenty  years  I  taught  both  history  and 
political  economy  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  to 
students  in  both  the  classical  and  the  scientific  courses. 
I  had  both  classes  of  students  come  to  me  for  history  in 
their  freshman  year,  and  both  again  for  political  econ- 
omy in  their  senior  year.  I  could  see  no  marked  differ- 
ence between  them  as  freshmen,  but  as  seniors  they  dif- 
fered very  widely.  The  students  who  had  been  pursuing 
the  "humanities"  in  the  intervening  years  had  come  up 
to  something  like  the  level  of  their  teachers,  and  took 
up  questions  with  a  firm  and  intelligent  grasp.  But 
those  who  had  been  occupied  chiefly  with  scientific 
studies,  although  interested  in  my  work,  had  nothing 
like  the  ability  the  others  showed  in  dealing  with  a 
form  of  work  and  a  set  of  problems  equally  new  to 
both.  At  that  time  I  was  not  prejudiced  in  favor  of 
either  kind  of  education.  I  was  the  Secretary  of  the 
Faculty  of  Science  from  its  beginning  and  for  a  good 
part  of  those  twenty  years,  and  therefore  to  some  de- 
gree enlisted  on  the  scientific  side  of  things.  But  year 
after  year  the  conviction  grew  upon  me  that  we  were 
educating  the  students  in  arts,  but  only  instructing 
those  who  graduated  in  science. 


218  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

This  experience  has  been  substantially  repeated  in 
the  Central  High  School.  I  am  teaching  political  econ- 
omy and  ethics  in  the  last  year  of  the  course  to  ( 1 )  stu- 
dents who  take  both  Latin  and  Greek;  (2)  to  students 
who  elected  German  instead  of  Greek  along  with  their 
Latin,  and  (3)  to  students  who  got  rid  of  even  Latin  as 
soon  as  they  could.  The  first  class  almost  always  carry 
off  the  honors,  do  the  best  work  in  all  subjects  and 
acquire  the  habits  of  earnest  students.  Also  the  second 
class  are  much  better  than  the  third  in  almost  every  way. 

STANLEY  R.  YARN  ALL 

Principal  of  the  Germantown  Friends'  School 

Latin  should  be  studied  because  it  is  a  hard  subject 
for  most  boys  and  girls.  It  requires  clear  thinking  and 
concentration  and  that  systematic  continuous  discipli- 
nary study  which  is  essential  for  any  real  education.  At 
the  present  time  there  is  danger  that  the  short  cuts  in 
education  will  severely  handicap  the  future  of  our  boys 
and  girls.  The  cry  is  for  subjects  that  have  an  imme- 
diate dollar  and  cents  value.  Parents  are  apt  to  over- 
look the  fact  that  such  studies,  instead  of  being  truly 
liberal  in  the  sense  of  opening  many  doors  and  oppor- 
tunities for  their  boys  and  girls,  are  in  reality  narrowing. 
They  circumscribe  the  opportunities  and  while  open- 
ing one  or  two  doors  effectively  close  other  doors. 

THOMAS  S.  CoLE1 

Instructor  in  Latin,  South  Philadelphia  High  School  for  Boys 

My  personal  opinion  would  be  worth  little  in  such  a 
connection,  but  I  can  safely  say  that  we  still  have  faith 
here  in  the  educative  value  of  the  ancient  classics.  This 


Statement  authorized  by  Principal  Whitaker  on  behalf  of  the  school. 


STATEMENTS  219 

school  offers  a  four  year  course  in  Latin,  and  the  sub- 
ject still  allures  a  large  percentage  of  our  best  students. 
A  majority  of  the  boys  here  are  of  foreign  parentage, 
and  we  believe  also  that  the  intensive  study  of  English 
involved  in  the  translation  of  Latin  provides  such  pupils 
with  some  of  their  most  valuable  work  in  expression. 

ELLIS  A.  SCHNABEL 

Northeast  High  School,  Philadelphia 

Man  is  distinguished  from  animals,  as  Sallust  tells 
us,  in  possessing  an  intellect  as  well  as  a  body ;  and  that 
education  which  regards  only  the  physical  man  and 
trains  the  hands  alone,  so  that  it  perfects  the  human 
machine  alone,  neglects  the  man's  nobler  side.  The 
ever  increasing  demand  for  "hewers  of  wood  and  draw- 
ers of  water"  does  not  mean  that  these  must  be  merely 
machines;  what  "Plato  thought  and  godlike  Cato  was" 
is  as  valuable  to  such  as  these  as  to  any  other  class  even 
in  simply  giving  them  a  spiritual  uplift  and  outlook  to 
make  them  happy  at  their  appointed  task.  The  classi- 
cal training  has  never  unfitted  men  for  vocational  work, 
while  vocational  training  has  made  many  a  one  unfit 
for  better  service  to  society.  It  is  the  spirit  of  true 
democracy  to  broaden  opportunity  to  rise  to  the  height 
of  one's  power.  It  is  false  democracy  to  insist  that  all 
must  be  content  with  the  lowest  form  of  social  service. 

CHARLES  H.  STROUT 

Headmaster  of  St.  Luke's  School,  Wayne,  Pa. 

1.  Nothing  can  take  the  place  of  Latin  and  Greek  as 
mental  discipline. 

2.  Latin  and  Greek  are  hard,  and  the  soft  boy  of  the 
present  day  needs  hard  things. 


220  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

3.  Some  one  said  to  my  class  in  college  when  we  were 
graduated:     "Young  gentlemen,  you  have  had  four 
years  training  in  anything  you  want  to  do."    I  believe 
I  am  a  better  headmaster  and  teacher  because  I  was 
trained  along  the  old  lines.     I  believe  the  men  in  my 
class  at  Dartmouth  have  had  greater  success  because  of 
their  training  along  the  old  classical  lines  than  if  they 
had  specialized. 

4.  It  is  a  pity  to  train  a  boy  along  vocational  lines, 
and  to  leave  doors  forever  closed  to  him. 

5.  I  can't  believe  the  boy  of  thirty-five  years  ago  had 
better  stuff  in  him  than  the  boy  of  the  present  day.    I 
know  he  worked  harder,  took  his  school  and  college 
more  seriously,  and,  I  believe,  came  out  better  prepared. 
I  am  convinced  that  this  is  because  he  had  to  work,  and 
that  his  work,  along  the  old  lines,  was  better  calculated 
to  bring  results. 

WILLIAM  MANN  IRVINE 

Headmaster  of  The  Mercersburg  Academy,  Mercersburg,  Pa. 

A  friend  of  mine  who  is  a  bishop  was  discussing  the 
classical  question  with  a  planter  in  one  of  our  Southern 
States.  The  bishop  said: 

"Do  you  sow  fertilizer  with  your  crops?" 

"I  do." 

"After  a  time  do  you  go  out  with  a  reaper  or  binder 
and  gather  a  crop  of  fertilizer?" 

"No." 

"Well  then,  why  do  you  sow  fertilizer?" 

"To  raise  bigger  crops." 

"That  is  exactly  why  I  recommend  the  study  of  Latin 
and  Greek,  namely  to  enlarge  a  man's  crop  of  ideas." 


STATEMENTS 

No  man  can  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  biology 
unless  he  has  also  studied  embryology.  Embryology 
deals  with  the  beginnings  of  life.  Likewise  no  man  can 
understand  modern  civilization  thoroughly  unless  he 
understands  the  Greek  and  Latin  civilizations  from 
which  many  of  our  best  ideals  have  come  to  us. 

We  have  no  quarrel  with  technical  education.  Its 
efficiency  and  training  will  help  us  to  win  this  war.  It 
is  a  great  mistake,  however,  to  say  that  all  people  should 
be  trained  by  the  same  methods.  Technical  education 
has  given  us  a  splendid  body  of  engineers  and  men  of 
science,  but  everybody  knows  that  diplomacy  and  states- 
manship play  a  big  part  in  war,  and  for  the  training  of 
diplomats  and  statesmen  the  classical  studies  surpass  the 
technical  studies  by  far. 

If  the  classical  studies  are  forgotten,  in  the  next  gen- 
eration or  two  we  shall  look  in  vain  for  men  like  Wood- 
row  Wilson,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Elihu  Root,  James 
Russell  Lowell,  Henry  van  Dyke,  Joseph  H.  Choate, 
and  many  others  who  have  ranked  as  our  best  diplomats 
and  statesmen.  These  men  received  their  preliminary 
training  in  a  large  measure  by  studying  the  classics. 

THOMAS  S.  BAKER 

Director  of  The  Tome  School,  Port  Deposit,  Md. 

So  much  has  been  said  and  written  concerning  the 
value  of  the  classics  in  education  that  I  shall  not  make 
the  vain  attempt  to  add  anything  new.  I  can  only 
testify  that  I  heartily  believe  classical  studies  deserve  a 
prominent  place  in  any  scheme  of  mental  training  in- 
tended to  prepare  the  young  for  life.  This  is  not  to  say 
that  I  believe  everybody  should  study  Latin  and  Greek ; 
there  are  many  who  should  not.  Unquestionably,  how- 


VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

ever,  certain  types  of  mind  are  developed  most  effec- 
tively and  completely  by  a  course  of  language  study, 
and  for  such  types  Latin  and  Greek  afford  the  best 
pabulum.  This  indeed,  I  believe,  is  the  testimony  of 
the  enlightened  everywhere,  even  outside  of  classical 
circles,  and  I  feel  very  sure  that  the  modern  protest  on 
the  part  of  so-called  reformers  is  destined  to  prove  as 
ineffectual  as  it  certainly  deserves  to  be. 

HAERY  A.  PETERS 

Principal  of  University  School,  Cleveland,  O. 

The  following  are  the  reasons  why  we  require  Latin : 

Half  of  English  comes  from  Latin,  directly  or 
through  French.  As  a  basis  for  an  exact  knowledge  of 
English  familiarity  with  Latin  is  invaluable. 

A  knowledge  of  the  lives  and  acts  of  leaders  both 
among  men  and  among  nations  is  a  basis  for  decisions 
for  matters  of  today.  For  example,  Caesar's  military 
campaigns  were  largely  on  the  same  ground  and  on  the 
same  plan  as  are  those  in  Europe  today. 

Latin  is  a  very  logical  language,  and  requires  reflec- 
tive thinking  for  translation  and  composition.  The 
mastery  of  Latin  requires  effort  and  concentration ;  and 
anything  which  does  that  today  is  performing  its  service 
in  education. 

While  Latin  is  not  a  living  language,  it  can  be  and 
must  be  connected  with  life  of  today.  A  more  serious 
effort  in  that  direction  on  the  part  of  teachers  of  Latin, 
to  my  mind,  would  be  repaid  a  hundredfold  in  increased 
interest  in  the  study  of  the  language  and  in  getting  its 
admitted  value. 


STATEMENTS  223 

5.     THE  MINISTRY 
GEORGE  A.  GORDON 

Minister  of  the  Old  South  Church,  Boston 

I  believe  that  every  capable  boy  or  girl  should  be  en- 
couraged to  take  either  Latin  or  Greek,  or  preferably 
both. 

WILLIAM  D.  MCKENZIE 

President  of  Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  Hartford,  Conn. 

The  thorough  investigation  of  the  New  Testament 
in  its  history  and  meaning  must  forever  rest  on  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  Greek  language.  He  who  knows  it  not  is 
shut  off  from  a  personal  consideration  of  the  deepest 
problems  concerning  the  origins  of  the  faith  which  he 
professes. 

.  i 

HUGH  BLACK 

Professor  in  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York  City 

Apart  from  the  absurdity  of  a  man  trying  to  deal  in 
any  profound  way  with  a  book  of  whose  language  he  is 
ignorant,  it  ought  to  be  remembered  that  practically  all 
learned  commentaries  are  unreadable  to  the  man  who 
does  not  know  Hebrew  and  Greek.  It  does  not  mean 
that  we  want  to  make  men  all  specialists  in  these  lan- 
guages, but  it  is  not  so  hard  to  get  a  working  knowledge 
which  enables  one  to  get  the  good  out  of  the  work  of 
other  scholars.  It  can  be  demonstrated  that  for  the 
highest  education  the  languages  and  literatures  and  his- 
tory of  Greece  and  Rome  are  supremely  utilitarian  and 
that  nothing  can  take  their  place. 

Whatever  place  is  given  to  other  methods  of  training 


224  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

for  special  work,  Latin  and  Greek  will  remain  as  a 
necessary  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  theological 
scholar. 

BENJAMIN  B.  WARFIELD 

Professor  in  Princeton  Theologcal  Seminary 

I  am  a  teacher  of  Christian  theology,  and  as  the  prin- 
cipal source  book  of  Christian  theology  is  a  Greek  book, 
and  a  large  part  of  its  literature  is  written  in  Latin,  I 
am  predisposed  to  desire  that  Greek  and  Latin  should 
have  a  large  place  in  academic  training.  I  fully  recog- 
nize, however,  that  the  training  given  in  our  academic 
institutions  should  not  be  determined  by  the  needs  of 
any  one  profession.  Its  primary  object,  in  my  view,  in 
fact  is  not  so  much  to  impart  knowledge  as  to  form 
mind;  and  it  is  because  I  have  a  clear  and,  as  I  believe, 
well  founded  conviction  that  a  sound  classical  training 
provides  the  best  means  at  our  disposal  for  a  sound 
mental  discipline  that  I  am  an  earnest  advocate  of  it. 
Were  we  for  any  reason  debarred  from  the  use  of  the 
classics,  I  have  little  question  that  much  the  same  train- 
ing which  we  now  obtain  from  them  could  be  obtained 
without  them.  But  neither  do  I  have  much  doubt  that 
the  same  training  could  not  be  obtained  wihout  them 
without  a  larger  expenditure  of  both  labor  and  effort. 
So  long  as  we  have  the  choice  in  a  free  field  the  classical 
course,  in  my  judgment,  should  be  chosen  as  supplying 
the  best  means  as  yet  known  of  general  mental  disci- 
pline. What  I  chiefly  value  in  it  is  the  quality  of  mind 
which  it  produces.  As  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  would 
express  it,  it  seems  permanently  "to  stretch  the  pia 
mater/' 


STATEMENTS  225 

JOHN  DEWITT 

Recently  Professor  of  Church  History  in  Princeton  Theological  Seminary 

The  educated  man  whom  the  college  seeks  to  send 
forth  into  the  world  is  a  man  disciplined  in  all  his  facul- 
ties and  receptive  upon  every  side ;  a  man  of  the  widest 
intellectual  sympathies;  a  man  of  the  humanities;  a 
man,  in  short,  glowing  not  so  much  with  the  special  en- 
thusiasm of  a  special  though  scientific  occupation,  but 
glowing  with  "the  enthusiasm  of  humanity,"  imbued 
with  the  spirit  and  alive  to  the  possibilities  of  the  entire 
race. 

In  these  days,  in  view  of  the  strong  tendency  both  to 
specialize  and  to  secularize  education,  it  is  well  to  recall 
the  noble  history  in  the  modern  world  of  this  system  of 
liberal  training.  It  is  well  to  reinform  ourselves  of  that 
continuous  movement  through  the  centuries  which  un- 
der the  conduct  of  the  largest  minds  and  loftiest  spirits 
has  in  our  own  land  culminated  in  the  colleges  which 
have  so  largely  blessed  and  honored  both  Church  and 
State.  We  owe  much  indeed  to  the  growth  of  material 
science  under  the  nurture  of  the  inductive  philosophy. 
But  the  debt  of  the  world  to  the  education  which  sur- 
vives in  our  colleges  is  far  larger  and  far  more  profound. 

JAMES  G.  K.  McCuniE 

President  of  McCormick  Theological  Seminary,  Chicago 

As  I  review  my  life  I  am  quite  clear  in  my  convic- 
tion that  Latin  and  Greek  have  been  preeminent  studies 
in  disciplining  and  enriching  my  mind  and  in  fitting 
me  for  my  intellectual  duties. 


226  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

6.    LAW 
ROSCOE  POUND 

Dean  of  the  Law  School,  Harvard  University 

I  have  taught  law  in  four  different  law  schools  and, 
with  some  care  and  much  interest,  have  looked  into  the 
pre-legal  education  of  students  in  each  of  the  schools 
wherein  I  have  taught.  What  I  have  learned  in  this 
way  has  produced  a  strong  impression  that  students 
who  come  to  the  law  school  with  a  good  linguistic  train- 
ing, especially  those  who  have  had  good  training  in  the 
classics,  other  things  being  equal,  have  an  advantage 
and  do  better  work  from  the  beginning.  The  law  de- 
mands a  clearness  and  accuracy  in  thinking  which  is 
only  to  be  attained  in  connection  with  accuracy  in  the 
use  and  in  the  interpretation  of  language.  While 
courses  in  economics,  sociology,  politics  and  related  sub- 
jects undoubtedly  have  great  value  for  the  student  of 
law,  those  who  come  solely  or  chiefly  with  this  prepara- 
tion do  not  show  to  advantage  as  a  rule  in  comparison 
with  those  who  have  been  trained  to  examine  a  written 
text  critically  and  to  express  themselves  clearly  and  ac- 
curately in  a  strange  tongue.  Consequently,  when  a 
committee  of  the  Association  of  American  Law  Schools 
was  called  upon  some  years  ago  to  recommend  a  stan- 
dard course  for  those  preparing  for  law,  while  the  de- 
sirability of  courses  in  history,  economics  and  social  and 
political  science  was  recognized,  there  was  a  general 
agreement  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  the  committee 
in  the  wish  that  law  students  might  all  be  trained  first 
in  languages,  especially  the  classical  languages,  and 
mathematics,  with  as  much  of  the  subjects  more  di- 
rectly related  to  law  as  could  be  filled  in. 

For  Dean  Pound's  address  see  page  48. 


STATEMENTS  227 

EZRA  R.  THAYER 

Former  Dean  of  the  Law  School,  Harvard  University 

Note:    The  following  letter,  written  to  Professor  Cowles  of  Amherst  by 
the  late  Dean  Thayer,  has  been  sent  by  his  successor,  Dean  Roscoe  Pound. 

November  19,  1910. 
Professor  William  L.  Cowles, 

Amherst,  Mass. 
My  dear  Professor  Cowles: 

Many  thanks  for  your  letter,  to  which  I  am  very  glad 
to  reply. 

What  I  said  the  other  night  about  the  classics  was  a 
digression,  made  ex  tempore,  and  I  have  no  notes  of  it. 
It  was  an  expression  of  the  following  views,  which  are 
the  result  of  practical  experience. 

Apart  from  the  special  and  obvious  need  of  studying 
Latin  in  preparing  for  the  law,  in  order  to  understand 
the  early  law  Latin  and  the  Latin  phrases  and  maxims 
which  constantly  recur  in  the  law  books,  the  study  of  the 
classics  seems  to  me  particularly  adapted  to  develop 
qualities  which  are  very  necessary  to  the  practicing 
lawyer.  The  business  of  analysis  and  mental  detective 
work  is  a  large  part  of  a  lawyer's  activity.  In  the  un- 
ravelling of  complicated  combinations  of  fact  and  in 
solving  problems  darkened  by  falsehood  and  errors  of 
memory  he  is  continually  making,  verifying  and  dis- 
carding a  series  of  working  hypotheses.  I  have  often 
observed  that  the  mental  processes  involved  in  such  work 
are  substantially  identical  with  those  called  into  play 
by  the  task  of  translating  at  sight  a  page  of  Latin  or 
Greek. 

Even  more  important,  perhaps,  is  the  relation  of  such 
study  to  the  neat  and  exact  use  of  language.  It  is  of 


228  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

course  the  lawyer's  special  duty  not  only  to  reason 
soundly  but  to  express  his  ideas  with  clearness  and  ac- 
curacy. It  is  vital,  therefore,  that  he  should  know  how 
to  select  the  very  word  which  will  fit  his  thought.  I  do 
not  see  how  a  student  could  better  train  himself  in  this 
choice  of  words  than  by  translating  Latin  into  English 
and  English  into  Latin. 

As  I  said  to  the  young  men  the  other  night,  I  gave 
myself  largely  to  the  classics  during  the  first  two  years 
of  my  college  course,  but  abandoned  them  at  the  end  of 
my  sophomore  year  for  political  economy  and  history. 
I  did  this  because  I  thought  it  would  fit  me  better  for 
the  law.  Much  as  I  enjoyed  and  profited  by  the  courses 
which  I  took  in  my  junior  and  senior  years,  I  believe 
that  if  I  were  making  the  choice  over  again  I  should  not 
give  up  the  classics. 

SIMEON  E.  BALDWIN 

Former  President  American  Bar  Association 

Chief  Justice  Supreme  Court  of  Errors,  of  Connecticut,  1907-1910 

Governor  of  Connecticut,  1911-1915 

Yale  University 

No  one  gets  the  best  out  of  a  liberal  education  whom 
it  has  not  helped  to  express  himself  clearly  in  written 
words.  The  faculty  of  doing  this  is  native  to  some  men. 
To  the  less  fortunate  I  believe  that  nothing  can  give 
more  aid  in  acquiring  it  than  practice  in  turning  the 
terms  and  texture  of  a  Greek  or  Latin  passage  into 
those  of  their  own  language,  or  a  passage  expressed  in 
that  into  Greek  or  Latin. 

I  made  it  a  practice  for  thirty  years  to  read  a  few 
lines  of  Greek  daily,  discontinuing  it  only  when  I  found 
that  it  was  beginning  to  strain  my  eyes.  In  my  profes- 
sion, that  of  law,  some  knowledge  of  Latin  is  indispens- 


STATEMENTS  229 

able,  and  sufficient  knowledge  of  it  to  make  reading  the 
Corpus  Juris  Civilis  an  easy  task  is  a  very  desirable 
acquisition.  No  man  can  be  called  an  accomplished 
lawyer  who  has  not  some  acquaintance  with  comparative 
law  and  cannot  compare  the  jurisprudence  of  his  State 
or  country  not  only  with  that  of  other  states  or  coun- 
tries of  his  own  time,  but  with  that  of  ancient  European 
governments.  The  Roman  law  is  the  source  of  much 
more  than  was  once  thought  of  in  modern  American 
law.  It  is  well  worth  studying  at  its  fountain  head. 

Nor  can  the  history  or  literature  of  any  peoples  be 
ever  really  understood  by  one  wholly  ignorant  of  their 
language.  He  has  to  take  too  much  on  trust.  The 
great  works  of  Greece  and  Rome  introduce  us  into  a 
new  world,  and  set  up  standards  of  comparison  that  are 
not  seldom  of  more  worth  to  a  philosophic  student  than 
those  accepted  in  modern  nations,  since  they  explain 
why  these  have  their  present  form. 

S.  S.  GREGORY 

President  of  American  Bar  Association,  1911 
Chicago 

I  am  of  opinion  that  no  study  of  the  classics  is  of  any 
practical  value  to  the  average  man  of  business.  In  fact, 
all  education  beyond  a  high  school  education  is,  in  so 
far  as  the  practical  results  are  concerned,  time  wasted. 
Narrowness  is  frequently  an  important  element  in 
pecuniary  success.  A  selfish  and  narrow  view  is  the 
common  trait  of  the  successful  business  man. 

For  the  professional  man  who  is  highly  ambitious  of 
professional  success,  a  study  of  the  classics  has  no  little 
practical  value.  In  that  I  am  familiar  with  no  method 
by  which  the  control  and  mastery  of  the  English  Ian- 


230  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

guage  can  be  acquired  equal  to  that  of  the  prolonged 
study  of  both  Latin  and  Greek. 

The  minute  you  inquire  as  to  the  practical  value  of  a 
liberal  education  or  any  of  its  constituents,  you  in  a 
measure  debase  the  cause  of  education.  Nothing  in  my 
judgment  is  more  demoralizing  than  to  put  constantly 
before  the  ingenuous  youth  of  the  nation  the  question 
whether  or  not  the  study  of  this,  that  or  the  other  sub- 
ject will  enable  them  the  better  to  earn  a  living  or  to 
make  money.  You  might  just  as  well  discuss  with  them 
whether  it  pays  to  be  patriotic,  self  sacrificing  and 
heroic.  Generally  speaking  I  think  these  qualities  are 
far  less  likely  to  contribute  to  their  pecuniary  success 
than  many  that  are  more  sordid  and  less  admirable. 
Therefore,  I  regard  it  as  highly  desirable  that  young 
men  should  study  things  which  are  of  no  practical  value 
to  them  if  they  seek  and  are  worthy  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion. 

There  are,  so  far  as  I  know,  no  studies  which  in  after 
life  afford  educated  and  cultivated  men  so  much  plea- 
sure as  the  study  of  the  ancient  classics.  Forsan  et 
Tiaec  olim  meminisse  juvabit.  I  quote  from  memory  and 
possibly  my  memory  is  inaccurate,  as  I  knew  small 
Latin  and  less  Greek.  To  read  Homer,  Virgil,  Cicero, 
Horace,  Tacitus  and  the  Greek  tragedies  in  the  original 
is  in  itself,  in  my  judgment,  an  indispensable  part  of  a 
liberal  education.  I  do  not  speak  of  mental  discipline, 
for  I  have  always  thought  it  a  false  notion  that  it  was  a 
part  of  a  college  education  to  discipline  the  mind  by  a 
sort  of  mental  gymnastics.  Rather  does  it  open  and 
expand  the  mind  to  great  variety  of  different  topics  and 
thus  open  the  avenues  of  information  and  enable  a  man 
to  find  a  place  in  orderly  arrangement  for  that  which 


STATEMENTS 

he  acquires  through  life.  The  education  which  he  gets 
within  college  walls  is  not  alone  sufficient  to  make  him 
a  broad  minded,  high  minded,  intelligent  and  cultivated 
man.  There  he  is  at  the  gateway.  All  that  he  gets  of 
mental  training  and  discipline  is  undoubtedly  valuable, 
but  the  broadening  of  his  mental  vision  and  spiritual 
inspiration  which  he  should  receive  from  his  instructors 
— now,  alas,  almost  entirely  wanting — are  far  more 
important. 

PETER  W.  MELDRIM 

President  American  Bar  Association,  1914 

Judge  in  Eastern  Judicial  Circuit 

Savannah,  Ga. 

I  am  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  objects  of 
your  conference  and  regret  very  much  that  the  extra- 
ordinary pressure  on  me  has  been  such  that  I  have  not 
been  able  to  put  in  proper  form  my  very  earnest  sym- 
pathy for  your  work. 

THEODORE  S.  WOOLSEY 

Professor  of  International  Law,  Emeritus 
Yale  University 

If  you  ask  for  a  word  or  two  from  me  as  to  the  value 
of  some  classical  study  in  the  working  life  of  the  average 
man,  I  should  reply  that  only  the  exceptional  man,  such 
a  man  as  Lincoln  for  instance,  can  use  his  own  language 
skillfully  without  it. 

The  insight  into  roots,  into  shades  of  meaning  and 
cadences  of  sound,  the  lovely  and  delicate  dwelling  upon 
words,  which  even  college  Latin  gives,  make  the  differ- 
ence between  style  and  commonplaceness. 


232  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

HENRY  M.  BATES 

Dean  of  the  Law  School,  University  of  Michigan 

I  believe  there  is  no  satisfactory  substitute  for  classi- 
cal studies  in  the  development  of  the  cultivated  man. 
The  training  which  such  studies  give  in  precision  and 
elegance  in  the  use  of  language  and  in  the  accurate  de- 
limitation of  similar  ideas  or  concepts  the  one  from  the 
other  is  certainly  unsurpassed  and  in  my  judgment  un- 
equalled by  studies  of  any  other  kind.  With  reference 
to  my  own  special  field,  legal  education,  I  am  convinced, 
as  I  think  are  the  majority  of  my  colleagues,  that  the 
study  of  the  classical  languages,  Greek  and  Latin,  is  of 
the  greatest  value.  The  mental  processes  of  the  stu- 
dent who  is  translating  from  one  language  to  another 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  lawyer  engaged  in  interpret- 
ing a  Supreme  Court  opinion  or  a  statute ;  and  by  reason 
of  their  logical  and  complete  organization  and  structure 
Latin  and  Greek  are  much  better  for  this  purpose  than 
any  other  language.  There  is  of  course  the  additional 
advantage  to  the  law  student  who  has  studied  Latin  that 
he  has  thereby  become  familiar  with  a  great  many  words 
which  have  become  part  of  the  terminology  of  the  Eng- 
lish common  law.  If  I  could  have  my  way,  I  would  re- 
quire all  prospective  law  students  to  study  both  Latin 
and  Greek. 

WILLIAM  CAREY  JONES 

Professor  of  Jurisprudence,  University  of  California 

The  intending  student  of  law  is  advised  to  pursue  a 
full  classical  curriculum.  If  such  a  course  is  not  attain- 
able, the  student  is  advised  to  take  as  thorough  a  course 
in  Latin  as  possible.  Such  study  will  be  profitable  to 


STATEMENTS  233 

him  in  many  ways,  and  will  open  up  the  possibility  of 
scholarly  research  in  civil  law  and  jurisprudence  in  the 
graduate  years. 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES 

Associate  Justice,  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 

On  the  question  concerning  the  value  of  the  classics 
in  liberal  education  I  can  have  no  doubt,  if  they  should 
be  studied  in  the  same  way  in  which  many  of  us  have 
learned  to  read  French  or  German,  without  much  bother 
over  the  rules  of  grammar  as  rules  to  be  learned  but 
with  an  effort  to  associate  the  words  with  the  things 
they  signify  and  to  practice  translation  as  soon  and  as 
much  as  may  be.  Latin  is  of  considerable  practical  im- 
portance in  itself  and  also  as  the  foundation  of  so  many 
modern  languages,  and  of  so  many  words  in  languages 
not  founded  upon  it.  Greek  is  less  important  in  itself, 
but  opens  the  door  to  pleasures  not  to  be  had  without  it, 
as  no  poet,  at  least,  can  be  appreciated  except  in  his 
own  words.  It  seems  to  me  that  people  who  think  they 
are  enjoying  Euripides,  for  instance,  in  the  charming 
translations  that  we  know,  probably  are  getting  their 
pleasure  from  a  modern  atmosphere  that  is  precisely 
what  is  not  in  the  original.  And  further,  when  one  con- 
siders the  relation  of  modern  literatures  to  those  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  it  seems  obvious  that  they  cannot  be 
fully  felt  without  some  acquaintance  with  their  ances- 
tors. I  think  the  trouble  has  been  (I  cannot  speak  about 
the  present)  that  the  energy  of  pupils  has  been  ex- 
hausted upon  rules  rather  than  upon  content.  A  super- 
ficial knowledge  of  structure  is  enough  for  the  purpose 
for  which  it  is  desirable  to  teach  Latin  and  Greek  to  the 
run  of  boys. 


234  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

CHAKLES  M.  HOUGH 

United  States  Circuit  Judge 
New  York  City 

The  value  of  an  opinion  is  usually  gauged  by  the 
giver's  opportunities,  and  mine  have  been  almost  wholly 
confined  to  preparing,  delivering  and  listening  to  argu- 
ments on  matters  of  law  and  the  study  of  evidence,  often 
given  by  experts  in  applied  science. 

Many  useful  men  are  mentally  incapable  of  anything 
but  routine,  and  such  men  will  never  assimilate  more 
than  vocational  drill. 

As  to  thinking  men,  it  is  the  result  of  my  observation 
that  those  whose  early  discipline  was  classical,  who 
learned  to  use  English  with  Greek  and  Latin  in  the 
near  background,  and  who  therefore  (perhaps  uncon- 
sciously) regard  language  as  a  living  and  growing 
thing,  are  usually  able  to  present  their  thoughts  with  a 
precision  and  clarity  unknown  to  those  whose  corre- 
sponding studies  restricted  them  to  science  or  permitted 
a  selection  of  modern  courses  attractive  to  the  youthful 
mind. 

JOHN  B.  WINSLOW 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Wisconsin 

While  I  cannot  justly  claim  to  have  "kept  up"  my 
classics,  I  have  always  felt  that  my  knowledge  of  the 
classics  acquired  in  the  old  fashioned  college  course  has 
been  of  great  service  to  me  in  my  writing  as  it  has  been 
a  pleasure  and  a  help  to  me  in  many  ways.  I  would  not 
be  without  it. 


STATEMENTS  235 

HENRY  C.  CONRAD 

Associate  Judge,  Supreme  Court  of  Delaware 

To  those  who  purpose  to  enter  the  learned  professions 
the  study  of  the  classics  I  deem  most  important,  I  would 
say  almost  indispensable.  I  know  of  nothing  more 
valuable  as  a  mental  drill  than  the  study  of  Latin  and 
Greek,  and  so  recommend  a  course  embracing  those  lan- 
guages to  those  who  are  intent  upon  mind  development 
and  whose  after  life  is  to  be  spent  in  mental  rather  than 
physical  pursuits. 

JAMES  M.  MORTON,  JR. 

United  States  District  Judge,  Massachusetts 

I  do  not  see  how  anybody  can  use  English  well  with- 
out some  knowledge  of  Latin. 

JAMES  R.  MACFARLANE 

Judge  in  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
Pittsburgh 

My  view  of  the  practical  value  of  Latin  in  the  profes- 
sion of  the  law  is  briefly  this :  The  law  demands  exact 
expression.  The  lawyer  and  judge  must  read,  interpret 
and  define  with  certainty.  The  greatest  jurists  have 
been  men  whose  ability  and  reasoning  powers  have  been 
highly  developed  and  who  have  had  the  power  of  ac- 
curate, concise  statement.  A  course  in  Latin,  aside 
from  the  mental  discipline  it  gives,  is  unquestionably  a 
means  to  this  end.  A  detail  is  the  fact  that  the  language 
of  the  law  is  largely  of  Latin  derivation.  Exceptional 
men  have  excelled  without  a  knowledge  of  any  lan- 
guage except  their  own,  but  the  vast  majority  need  such 
study  to  develop  what  I  may  call  the  language  sense. 


236  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

Standard  law  schools  and  examining  boards  recognize 
this  and  require  Latin  as  preliminary  to  the  study  of 
the  law. 

MOOEFIELD  STOREY 

Boston 

It  is  now  some  fifty  years  since  I  graduated  from 
college  after  giving  a  considerable  number  of  years  to 
classical  study,  and  I  can  say  that  I  have  never  re- 
gretted what  I  learned  by  that  study. 

Greek  and  Latin  seem  to  me  of  great  value  in  two 
ways.  In  the  first  place  they  enable  a  man  who  is  called 
upon  to  speak  and  write  to  use  his  words  with  precision 
and  to  make  his  meaning  clear  by  using  the  right  word 
in  the  right  place.  The  knowledge  of  classics  also  en- 
ables a  man  to  understand  what  others  say,  to  appre- 
ciate the  exact  shade  of  meaning  which  the  writer  seeks 
to  convey  and  to  understand  readily  much  which  to 
one  who  is  not  familiar  with  those  languages  is  difficult 
of  comprehension. 

In  the  next  place  our  views  on  contemporary  ques- 
tions are  inevitably  affected  by  our  own  prejudices,  in- 
terests and  associations,  but  the  study  of  the  classics 
carries  us  into  an  atmosphere  so  far  removed  from  our 
own  that  we  can  appreciate  the  lessons  of  history,  learn 
to  weigh  the  motives  which  control  a  man's  action,  and 
from  the  experience  of  other  men  in  remote  times  learn 
to  recognize  the  dangers  which  beset  our  own  path. 

I  have  often  thought  that  it  would  be  possible  to  take 
the  history  of  Rome  from  the  time  of  the  Punic  War 
down  to  the  fall  of  the  Republic  and  parallel  every  step 
in  the  progress  with  a  step  in  our  own  history.  Ferrero 
has  done  it,  and  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  if  we  were  all 


STATEMENTS  237 

familiar  with  the  history  of  Greece  and  Rome  we  should 
detect  many  a  rock  and  shoal  which  now  escapes  our 
notice. 

W.  K.  RICHARDSON 

Boston 

In  my  opinion  the  study  of  both  Latin  and  Greek  is 
indispensable  to  a  liberal  education;  and  I  mean  such 
study  as  will  ensure  considerable  facility  not  only  in 
reading  ordinary  Greek  and  Latin  authors  but  in  writ- 
ing Latin  and  Greek  prose. 

The  first  result  is  to  ensure  greater  clearness  and 
compactness  in  writing  English. 

Second,  the  classical  authors  cannot  be  fully  enjoyed 
and  appreciated  except  when  studied  in  the  original. 

Third,  a  large  part  of  modern  literature,  from  the 
time  of  the  Renaissance,  is  unintelligible  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  classics. 

FRANCIS  LYNDE  STETSON 

New  York  City 

The  test  of  the  trained  mind  is  to  be  found  in  its  re- 
sponse to  a  call  for  its  expression  in  language.  And, 
excepting  in  the  cases  of  rare  occurrence  like  those  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  the  ability  to  express  one's  mind  in 
proper  language  can  be  developed  best,  and  generally 
only,  by  the  patient  and  persistent  study  of  the  classics. 
This  consideration  alone,  apart  from  the  recognition  of 
the  culture  value  of  studies  in  classic  art  and  archaeol- 
ogy, commands  my  complete  support  of  classical  studies, 
even  for  the  man  desirous  of  success  in  practical  affairs. 


238  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

E.  P  ABM  ALEE  PnENTICE 
New  York  City 

I  believe  it  can  be  shown: 

That  classical  studies  teach  precision  of  expression, 
and  the  relation  of  words  in  sentences;  that  they  lead 
toward  accurate  thought  and  that  they  have  been  on  the 
whole  the  best  teachers  of  English  style. 

That  if  a  knowledge  of  modern  languages  brings  cul- 
ture we  should  expect  to  find  the  highest  exponents  of 
that  culture  in  restaurant  waiters.  I  believe  in  the  cul- 
ture which  comes  from  a  knowledge  of  events  sufficient- 
ly intimate  to  lead  a  man  to  place  his  own  interpretation 
upon  history.  Classical  studies  do  in  fact  promote  this 
knowledge  of  the  Greek  democracies  and  of  the  times  of 
Caesar  in  Rome,  and  they  furnish  a  background  for  an 
understanding  of  the  time  of  Cromwell  in  England  and 
the  present  in  America.  So  far  as  I  know  this  work  has 
never  been  so  well  accomplished  as  it  has  been  through 
classical  studies. 

That  disinterested  public  service  is  not  taught  by  any 
educational  system  directed  solely  to  utilitarian  ends. 
Most  persons  must  devote  their  energies  to  earning 
money,  but  we  can  teach  everybody  that  civilization 
rests  upon  moral  forces,  that  learning  has  intrinsic  value 
and  that  though  learning  is  a  luxury  for  the  individual 
it  is  a  necessity  for  the  state. 

THOMAS  THACHER 

New  York  City 

As  a  lawyer  I  have  often  looked  back  and  inquired 
what  studies  had  especially  contributed  to  my  fitness 
for  my  work,  such  as  it  is;  and  I  have  always  fixed  on 


STATEMENTS  239 

two,  one  of  which — and  perhaps  the  more  important — is 
the  study  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages.  A  large 
part  of  a  lawyer's  work  has  to  do  with  the  use  of  lan- 
guage. That  it  is  a  most  important  part  will  be  real- 
ized upon  a  moment's  reflection  in  regard  to  wills,  con- 
tracts and  statutes,  from  the  standpoint  of  him  who 
draws  such  instruments  and  from  that  of  him  who  reads 
them  and  has  to  determine  their  meaning;  and  also  in 
regard  to  writing  opinions  from  the  bench  or  otherwise, 
and  determining  the  meaning  of  opinions  written  by 
others.  Take  down  at  random  a  volume  of  reports  and 
you  will  probably  find  that  a  majority  of  the  cases  turn 
upon  questions  merely  as  to  the  meaning  of  written 
words.  Ability  to  use  words  so  as  to  convey  a  given 
meaning  clearly  and  to  see  clearly  the  meaning  of  the 
words  written  by  others  is,  I  believe,  more  important  to 
the  lawyer  than  ability  in  any  other  line.  And  perhaps 
I  might  add  that  it  is  more  unusual.  And  yet,  so  far 
as  I  know,  scarcely  any  attention  is  paid  to  it  in  any 
scheme  of  law  school  education.  Whatever  of  such  abil- 
ity I  have  is  due,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  chiefly  to  the  study 
of  Greek  and  Latin,  the  analytical  study  of  words  and 
sentences  in  these  languages  and  the  work  of  translating 
from  them  into  English  or  putting  English  into  these 
languages.  Need  I  elaborate  to  convey  my  thought? 
In  this  study  I  got  the  chief  part  of  my  knowledge  of 
language,  the  chief  part  of  my  equipment — supple- 
mented, of  course,  by  practice  since — for  the  large  and 
important  part  of  a  lawyer's  work  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred. 


240  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

DRURY  W.  COOPER 

New  York  City 

Based  upon  an  experience  of  nearly  twenty  years  in 
the  preparation  and  trial  of  cases  involving  electrical, 
mechanical  and  other  physical  principles  and  their  in- 
dustrial applications,  and  upon  acquaintance  and  fre- 
quent contact  with  most  of  the  leading  lawyers  who  have 
been  engaged  in  trying  patent  and  similar  cases,  my 
opinion  is  that  the  classical  education,  with  its  backbone 
of  Greek  and  Latin,  affords  better  preparation  for  suc- 
cess in  this  highly  specialized  branch  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession than  does  a  course  whose  centre  is  the  sciences. 

LAWRENCE  E.  SEXTON 

New  York  City 

Of  course  I  believe  in  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek, 
in  the  study  of  the  structure  as  well  as  the  literature  of 
those  languages,  and  in  the  histories  of  those  two  great 
peoples  who  developed  them.  I  feel,  too,  that  no  one 
can  be  a  well  educated  man,  in  the  best  sense,  who 
lacks  that  training,  however  proficient  he  may  be  in 
other  learning.  That  a  training  in  the  classics  adds  to 
one's  efficiency,  whatever  may  be  his  profession  or  vo- 
cation in  life,  I  do  not  doubt.  And  not  the  least  of  the 
advantages  thereof  is  the  pleasure,  the  intellectual 
pleasure,  it  opens  up  to  him  whose  fortune  it  has  been 
to  possess  it. 

In  these  days  of  worldwide  wars,  involving  the 
slaughter  of  millions  of  our  fellow  beings,  the  wanton 
destruction  of  historical  monuments,  the  tearing  down 
and  building  up  of  governments,  when  misguided  men 
led  by  desperate  rulers  are  outraging  civilization  and 


STATEMENTS 

terrorizing  humanity;  at  a  time  when  we  too  have  been 
drawn  into  the  great  conflict  in  defence  and  furtherance 
of  those  great  principles  of  liberty  and  humanity  which 
are  more  precious  than  life  itself,  it  is  heartening  to  find 
that  there  are  still  those,  few  perhaps  in  numbers  but 
steadfast  of  purpose,  who  appreciate  the  necessity,  for 
the  sake  of  those  who  will  come  after  them,  of  keeping 
lighted  the  lamps  of  that  higher  scholarship  and  more 
enlightened  vision  which  have  illumined  the  world  for 
so  many  centuries  and  which  must  not  be  permitted  to 
die  out. 

M.  TAYLOR  PYNE 

Princeton,  N.  J. 

I  consider  myself  fortunate  in  having  begun  the  study 
of  Latin  when  but  ten  years  old,  for  not  only  has  the 
vocabulary  remained  far  more  firmly  fixed  than  it  would 
had  I  taken  it  up  some  years  later  as  do  most  American 
boys,  but  the  grammar  also  came  to  me  as  naturally  as 
English  grammar.  Latin  is  to  me  a  living  language  to 
use,  not  merely  for  the  purpose  of  translating  into  Eng- 
lish. As  a  result  it  became  comparatively  easy  to  read 
and  understand  such  Romance  languages  as  Spanish, 
Italian,  Catalan  and  Portuguese  before  I  had  even  com- 
menced to  study  them  carefully. 

The  Latin  prosody  gave  a  far  quicker  and  surer  ear 
for  both  quantity  and  accent  which  has  been  of  great 
value  to  me  in  modern  languages.  Classical  history  and 
mythology  have  enabled  me  to  appreciate  the  almost 
innumerable  allusions  scattered  throughout  literature 
and  have  greatly  increased  the  enjoyment  of  mediaeval 
and  modern  writers. 

In  the  law,  my  own  profession,  I  have  found  Latin  of 


VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

great  importance  not  only  since  so  much  of  the  termin- 
ology is  Latin,  but  also  because  the  structure  of  much 
of  our  law,  especially  equity  jurisprudence,  is  based  on 
it.  A  as  reader  of  mediaeval  history,  I  should  have 
been  stopped  at  the  beginning  of  my  inquiries  had  I  not 
been  able  to  read  classic  and  later  Latin. 

I  regret  that  I  did  not  take  up  Greek  until  some  years 
after  beginning  Latin  and  that  I  unfortunately  found 
it  advisable  to  give  it  up  at  the  end  of  sophomore  year, 
for  in  consequence  it  has  never  been  to  me  the  living 
language  that  Latin  is,  nor  have  I  retained  so  full  a 
vocabulary.  While  I  can  usually  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  the  host  of  scientific  terms  derived  from  the 
Greek,  yet  sometimes  I  find  myself  at  a  loss.  I  can, 
therefore,  to  some  extent  appreciate  the  immense  diffi- 
culty under  which  any  man  ignorant  of  the  classics 
necessarily  labors  in  trying  to  assimilate  the  enormous 
number  of  Greek  words  lately  incorporated  into  Eng- 
lish, which  must  appear  meaningless  to  him  and  have  to 
be  learned  by  rote. 

As  a  university  trustee  for  the  past  thirty  years  I 
have  grown  more  and  more  convinced  of  the  great  im- 
portance of  the  proper  study  of  the  classics.  I  believe 
also  that  they  should  be  begun  at  an  earlier  age  than  is 
usual  in  America  and  should  be  taught  from  English 
into  Latin,  rather  than  Latin  into  English.  The  Eng- 
lish public  schools  with  their  Greek  and  Latin  verse 
making  have  been  a  potent  force  in  training  boys  to 
write  fairly  good  Latin  and  Greek,  and  even  more,  to 
write  pure,  virile  and  melodious  English. 

In  fine  I  have  found  the  classics,  and  especially  Latin, 
by  far  the  most  valuable  of  my  studies;  and,  were  I  to 
repeat  my  undergraduate  days,  I  should  devote  quite 
as  much  time  to  Latin  and  much  more  to  Greek. 


STATEMENTS  243 

GEORGE  WHARTON  PEPPER 

Philadelphia 

I  regard  it  as  indispensable  to  the  effectiveness  of  a 
professional  man  that  he  should  have  what  for  want  of 
a  better  term  may  be  called  "language  consciousness." 
I  believe  it  to  be  true  that  in  no  way  can  this  habit  of 
mind  be  acquired  so  well  as  by  the  study  of  Greek. 

J.  G.  ROSENGARTEN 

Philadelphia 

I  am  very  earnest  in  my  faith  in  the  need  of  classical 
studies,  as  the  ground  work  of  all  sound  education,  and 
of  their  practical  value. 

WALTER  GEORGE  SMITH 

Philadelphia 

Men  are  educated  when  they  are  able  to  use  their 
mental  faculties  with  facility  and  accuracy  upon  any 
given  subject  that  is  presented  to  them.  Perhaps  this  is 
the  greatest  advantage  of  the  study  of  Greek  and  Latin, 
and  no  exercise  has  been  found  more  admirably  adapted 
for  the  purpose. 

CHARLES  EDWIN  Fox 

Philadelphia 

The  study  of  Latin,  if  well  done,  carries  with  it  a 
mental  disciplining  that  is  no  less  real  than  that  to  be 
derived  from  the  study  of  mathematics.  Herein  lies  its 
chief  advantage  to  the  student  of  law.  He  comes  from 
his  high  school  or  college  course  to  his  work  upon  the 
text  books  and  case  books  of  law  with  an  ability  to  con- 
centrate and  coordinate  that  largely  had  its  origin  while 


244  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

he  was  developing  for  himself  the  problems  of  Latin 
syntax  and  translation. 

But  the  student,  having  come  to  be  the  practitioner, 
still  continues  to  derive  an  advantage  from  his  knowl- 
edge of  Latin  that  is  quite  as  valuable,  even  though  not 
so  direct,  as  the  one  just  indicated.  It  has  served  to 
teach  him  the  significance  of  language,  particularly  of 
grammar.  There  is  a  certain  rigidity  and  accuracy  to 
Latin;  idioms  are  fewer  and  well  marked.  Precise  ad- 
herence to  its  well  established  rules  of  syntax  produces 
precise  results  in  speech.  It  is  obvious  that  the  practice 
of  law,  in  large  measure,  requires  a  proper  appreciation 
of  the  correct  relation  of  words  and  phrases.  One's  ex- 
perience with  Latin  may  guide  him  to  a  better  discrimi- 
nation in  his  English  phrasing,  which  to  a  lawyer  is  in- 
valuable. 

T.  B.  STORK 

Philadelphia 

I  was  for  forty  years  and  still  am,  in  fact,  a  member 
of  a  little  club  called  the  Horace  Club;  and  it  may  be 
interesting  to  you  perhaps  to  hear  some  personal  remi- 
niscences of  the  history  of  this  little  club,  which  is  quite 
an  historical  club  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  It  was 
formed  by  an  old  lawyer  of  Philadelphia,  the  sort  of 
lawyer  that  Philadelphia  used  to  produce  in  the  old 
times,  of  fine  literary  taste,  fine  culture,  and  a  man  of 
liberal  ideas  in  every  way.  The  club  was  formed  in  the 
early  '70s,  and  it  exists  to  this  day.  At  first  we  con- 
fined ourselves  to  Horace,  but  later  we  roamed  through 
other  phases  of  Latin  literature:  Cicero's  letters,  Pliny's 
letters,  Catullus,  Petronius  Arbiter,  Terence,  Tibullus, 


STATEMENTS  245 

Seneca,  Lucretius,  Lucan's  "Pharsalia,"  and  Apuleius's 
"Golden  Ass."    I  believe  in  the  classics. 

DIMNER  BEEBER 

President  of  the  Commonwealth  Title  Insurance  and  Trust  Company 

Philadelphia 

In  view  of  the  slovenly  English  in  which  most  of  the 
new  laws  have  been  framed,  it  is  absolutely  essential 
that  lawyers  and  judges  shall  be  well  versed  in  the 
classics. 

H.  E.  SPALDING 

Detroit 

When  I  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan thirty-five  years  ago  I  was  able  to  read  Greek  and 
Latin  at  sight  fairly  well  and  I  have  continued  the  read- 
ing of  both  ever  since  for  my  own  pleasure.  My  busi- 
ness has  been  the  practice  of  law.  I  have  no  qualifica- 
tion to  judge  of  the  value  of  classical  studies  except 
such  as  these  facts  imply. 

Aside  from  disciplinary  value  and  that  of  an  acquaint- 
ance with  two  literatures  which  so  largely  enter  into 
the  fabric  of  all  modern  literature,  the  principal  direct 
benefit  of  classical  study,  as  it  seems  to  me,  is  found  in 
the  training  which  that  study  if  properly  conducted 
gives  in  the  high  and  difficult  art  of  clear  and  accurate 
expression  of  thought.  I  speak  advisedly  when  I  say 
that  few  can  state  any  matter,  other  than  the  simplest, 
in  clear,  accurate  and  concise  language,  and  that  the 
lack  of  this  ability  accounts  for  a  very  large  proportion 
of  litigation  as  well  as  of  other  human  misunderstand- 
ings. In  my  judgment  translation,  especially  transla- 
tion at  sight,  without  which  no  one  can  escape  the  slavery 


246  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

of  the  dictionary,  is  far  superior  to  original  composition 
as  an  instrument  for  the  development  of  this  ability.  I 
may  say  at  the  same  time,  for  the  sake  of  emphasis, 
something  often  said  before,  that  classical  teachers  in 
schools  and  colleges  have  been  and  as  I  think  still  are 
not  sufficiently  mindful  of  the  importance  of  this  mat- 
ter. The  proper  practice  of  translation  materially  con- 
tributes to  the  formation  of  a  good  English  style.  Slip- 
shod translation,  such  as  was  common  when  I  was  in 
college,  and  which  I  incline  to  think  is  still  not  uncom- 
mon, materially  interferes  with  the  development  of  the 
ability  to  perceive  differences  in  meanings  and  to  un- 
derstand the  force  and  effect  of  different  forms  of  ex- 
pression. Students  ordinarily  enter  college  with  the 
most  rudimentary  ideas  of  expression.  They  can 
neither  speak  nor  write  clearly  and  accurately.  Classi- 
cal studies  should  correct  these  faults.  As  those  studies 
were  commonly  prosecuted  a  generation  ago  they  tended 
to  confirm  students  in  habits  of  slovenly  and  inaccurate 
expression  and  necessarily  in  corresponding  faults  of 
thought. 

It  is  difficult  for  one  to  analyze  or  to  state  fairly  the 
result  of  impressions  derived  from  his  own  experience. 
A  lawyer  has  to  deal  with  a  great  variety  of  affairs  and, 
therefore,  to  inform  himself  in  many  branches  of  special 
knowledge.  His  study  is  rarely  exhaustive,  but  he 
should  be  able  readily  to  acquire  and  assimilate  numer- 
ous and  complicated  facts,  to  discriminate  their  values, 
grasp  their  relations,  discard  the  irrelevant  and  insigni- 
ficant and  present  the  result  in  proper  order  and  in 
clear  and  adequate  form.  This  is  the  ideal,  imperfectly 
realized  by  any.  But  I  am  convinced  that  any  one  with 
reasonable  natural  aptitude  for  languages  will  find  clas- 


STATEMENTS  247 

sical  study  the  best  preparation  for  the  study  and  prac- 
tice of  the  law. 

I  have  dwelt  on  material  considerations  only.  But  I 
hardly  need  to  say  what  all  who  have  caught  any  of  the 
spirit  of  classical  literature  know  well,  that  the  greatest 
value  of  the  classics  is  in  their  power  to  instruct,  inspire 
and  console  us  in  all  that  part  of  life  that  is  beyond  and 
above  the  business  of  existence. 

JOHN  M.  ZANE 

Chicago 

The  study  of  the  classics  I  regard  as  of  more  im- 
portance at  the  present  day  than  at  any  other.  There 
never  was  a  time  when  every  man,  engineer,  doctor, 
lawyer,  business  man,  so  greatly  required  the  classical 
training  as  today.  All  affairs  are  now,  more  than  ever 
before,  a  matter  of  words — either  spoken  or  written 
words.  And  for  dealing  with  words  only  the  classical 
training,  the  old  fashioned  drill  in  Latin  and  Greek, 
can  give  a  man  the  requisite  discipline.  Having  said 
this,  I  pass  by  the  important  consideration  that  the 
world  of  thought  is  part  and  parcel  of  the  classics,  and 
come  purely  to  their  practical,  bread  and  butter  advan- 
tage. Almost  every  legal  record  today  is  merely  a  trans- 
lation of  a  Latin  document.  Reading  of  Latin  keeps 
the  attention  close,  keeps  one  weighing  words,  keeps  one 
extracting  all  the  meaning  there  is  in  words,  keeps 
one  coordinating  words  to  get  their  fullest  effect. 


JULIAN  P.  ALEXANDER 

Assistant  United  States  Attorney- 
Mississippi 

But  so  much  for  the  history  of  the  evolution  of 


248  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

the  Latin  language  as  the  monument  on  which  our  legal 
maxims  and  axioms,  as  well  as  much  of  our  legal  his- 
tory, are  engraved.  We  might  have  gone  so  far  as  to 
have  disregarded  the  explanation  of  the  existence  of 
Latin  in  our  legal  texts  and  accept  the  plain  fact  that  it 
is  there.  But  its  presence  is  the  result  of  the  same  con- 
siderations and  necessities  that  have  preserved  it 
through  so  many  adversities  down  to  the  present  time. 

So  then,  the  advantages  of  a  training  in  Latin  might 
be  said  to  be  those  that  attend  the  study  of  history,  as 
well  as  of  etymology,  and  so  the  student  of  law  encoun- 
ters on  every  hand  phrases  and  principles  carved  in 
Latin  and  transmitted  to  him  and  his  age  in  their  origi- 
nal vigor  and  shades  of  meaning.  Many,  he  finds,  have 
become  so  familiar  that  he  adopts  them  as  "naturalized." 
Actions  of  assumpsit,  quo  warranto,  and  upon  a  quan- 
tum meruit  or  quantum  valebat,  writs  of  capias  and  sub- 
poena, pleadings  of  nol.  pros,  and  pro  confesso,  are  so 
familiar  that  he  often  loses  sight  of  their  original  signifi- 
cance. Yet  the  student  must  draw  upon  his  knowledge 
of  the  Latin  to  assure  himself  that  he  knows  the  distinc- 
tion between  a  summons  and  a  subpoena,  a  capias, 
a  warrant  and  a  mittimus,  between  a  habeas  corpus  ad 
testificandum  and  a  habeas  corpus  ad  satis  faciendum, 
between  sdre  facias,  venire  facias  and  fieri  facias,  and 
administrators  de  bonis  non,  cum  testamento  anneoco, 
and  de  son  tort.  Is  the  layman  correct  when  he  speaks 
of  "subordination"  of  perjury?  To  the  Latin  students 
the  value  and  importance  of  obiter  dicta  in  applying  the 
doctrine  of  stare  decisis  are  amply  explained  within  the 
phrases  themselves. 

It  may  be  that  the  student  learns  his  Latin  in  the 
study  of  law.  If  this  fact  does  not  demand  that  he  come 


STATEMENTS  249 

thus  already  prepared  to  the  study  of  law,  it  at  least 
suggests  the  advantage  of  doing  so.  As  suggested,  if 
the  student  is  not  prepared  in  Latin  he  must  to  some 
extent  become  acquainted  with  its  expressions,  regard- 
less of  his  views  as  to  its  necessity.  If  the  use  of  Latin 
terminology,  for  example,  is  cumbersome  for  the  botan- 
ist or  the  pharmacist,  the  best  answer  is  that  its  presence 
in  those  sciences  is  undeniable. 


7.    MEDICINE 
VICTOR  C.  VAUGHAN 

President  American  Medical  Association  1915 
Chairman  Committee  on   Medicine   and   Hygiene   in   National 

Research  Council 
Dean  of  the  Medical  School,  University  of  Michigan 

There  has  been  found  nowhere  a  better  training  for 
the  thinking  apparatus  of  the  young  than  the  study  of 
Latin  and  Greek.  Carelessness  and  superficiality  are 
incompatible  with  any  thorough  study  of  Greek  and 
Latin.  The  student's  observation  is  sharpened,  his  per- 
ception becomes  more  delicate  and  he  finds  increased 
pleasure  in  the  intensity  with  which  he  seeks  fully  and 
correctly  to  interpret  the  author's  meaning.  And  this 
habit  of  close  observation,  of  attention  to  detail,  of  look- 
ing for  fine  distinctions  and  shades  of  difference,  and  the 
alertness  of  mind  possessed  by  an  individual  of  this  habit 
will  be  of  inestimable  service  to  him,  should  he  choose 
medicine  for  his  profession,  both  in  his  experimental 
work  in  the  laboratory  and  at  the  bedside  of  his  patient. 

For  Dean  Vaughan's  address  see  page  56. 


250  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

LEWELLYS  F.  BARKER 

President  of  American  Neurological  Association,  1916 
Professor  of  Clinical  Medicine,  Johns  Hopkins  University 
For  Professor  Barker's  address  see  page  51. 

E.  H.  BRADFORD 

Dean  of  the  Medical  School,  Harvard  University 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  our  civilization  is  based  so 
largely  on  classical  thought  and  tradition,  as  great  fa- 
miliarity as  is  possible  with  the  original  sources  is  de- 
sirable for  every  one  who  can  claim  to  have  a  broad 
foundation  in  his  education,  not  only  for  his  service  as 
a  citizen,  but  also  for  any  calling.  There  is  also  no 
question  that  a  reading  knowledge,  although  slight, 
places  the  student  more  closely  in  touch  with  classical 
thought  than  anything  derived  from  knowledge  ob- 
tained through  translation  alone. 

W.  W.  KEEN 

President  American  Philosophical  Society 
Philadelphia 

As  a  basis  of  universal  culture  the  classics  stand  in  an 
impregnable  position.  The  best  thought  of  the  world 
is  there  enshrined.  He  who  knows  not  the  classics  has 
missed  a  great  privilege  and  an  unequalled  source  of 
inspiration. 

WILLIAM  SYDNEY  THAYER 

Professor  of  Clinical  Medicine,  Johns  Hopkins  University 

When  in  the  period  of  so-called  secondary  education 
it  is  proposed  to  substitute  the  study  of  the  natural 
sciences  for  a  good  training  in  the  humanities,  there  is 
danger  of  drying  up  some  of  the  sources  from  which  this 


STATEMENTS  251 

very  scientific  expansion  has  sprung,  and  it  seems  to  me 
by  no  means  impossible.  The  study  of  the  classics, 
an  acquaintance  with  the  thoughts  and  the  philoso- 
phies of  past  ages,  gives  to  the  student  a  certain  breadth 
of  conception,  a  stability  of  mind  which  is  difficult  to 
obtain  in  another  way.  A  familiarity  with  Greek  and 
Latin  literature  is  an  accomplishment  which  means 
much  to  the  man  who  would  devote  himself  to  any 
branch  of  art  or  science  or  history.  One  may  search 
long  among  the  truly  great  names  in  medicine  for  one 
whose  training  has  been  devoid  of  this  vital  link  be- 
tween the  far  reaching  radicles  of  the  past  and  what  we 
are  pleased  to  regard  as  the  flowering  branches  of  to- 
day. Greek  and  Latin  are  far  from  dead  languages  to 
the  Continental  student.  They  are  dead  to  us  because 
they  are  taught  us  as  dead.  With  methods  of  teaching 
in  our  secondary  schools  equal  to  those  prevailing  in 
England  and  on  the  Continent,  'twould  be  an  easy  mat- 
ter, in  a  materially  shorter  period,  to  give  our  boys  an 
infinitely  broader  education  than  they  now  receive. 
There  should  be  much  less  complaint  of  time  wasted, 
much  less  ground  for  suggesting  the  abandonment  of 
the  study  of  branches  which  are  invaluable  to  any  schol- 
arly minded  man. 

But  there  is  yet  another  side  of  the  question  which 
has  hardly  been  sufficiently  emphasized,  a  side  of  the 
question  which  must  come  strongly  to  one's  mind  when 
he  considers  the  general  education  of  many  of  the  men 
who  are  entering  even  our  better  schools  of  medicine, 
a  point  of  view  which  has  been  especially  insisted  upon 
by  a  recent  French  observer.  A  large  part  of  the  suc- 
cess and  usefulness  of  the  practitioner  of  medicine  de- 
pends upon  the  influence  which  he  exerts  upon  his  pa- 


VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

tients;  upon  the  confidence  which  he  infuses;  upon  his 
power  to  explain,  to  persuade,  to  inspire.  It  can  scarce- 
ly be  denied  that  these  powers  are  more  easily  wielded 
by  the  man  of  general  culture  and  education  than  by 
one  of  uncouth  manner  and  untrained  speech,  however 
brilliant  may  be  his  accomplishments  in  the  field  of 
exact  science.  I  can  do  no  better  than  quote  the  words 
of  Professor  Lemoine  ( Congres  Fran9aise  de  medecine. 
VI  Session.  Paris,  1902  8°,  T.  II.,  p.  xli.) : 

"Indeed  the  moral  influence  which  he  [the  physician] 
is  capable  of  exercising  upon  the  patient  and  which  he 
exercises  to  an  ever  increasing  degree  with  his  intel- 
lectual superiority,  is  one  of  the  most  important  of 
therapeutic  agents.  One  heals  by  words  at  least  as 
much  as  by  drugs,  but  one  must  know  how  to  say  these 
words  and  to  exercise  a  sufficient  moral  authority,  that 
they  may  bring  conviction  to  the  patient  and  carry  the 
full  weight  of  suggestion  which  is  intended.  Were  it 
but  for  this  reason  I  shall  range  myself  among  those 
who  demand  the  maintenance  of  extensive  classical 
studies  as  a  preparation  for  those  of  medicine,  for  the 
best  means  to  uphold  the  prestige  of  the  physician  is 
still  to  raise  him  as  far  as  possible  above  his  contempo- 
raries." 

These  words  express,  it  seems  to  me,  a  large  measure 
of  truth.  May  it  not  be  that  in  the  tendency  to  the  ne- 
glect of  the  humanities  we  are  taking  a  false  step  ?  May 
it  not  be  that  if  on  the  other  hand  we  teach  them  earlier 
and  better  we  shall  find  in  the  end  that  no  essential  time 
is  lost,  while  we  shall  gain  for  medicine  men  not  only 
with  minds  abler  to  grasp  the  larger  and  broader  prob- 
lems, but  with  materially  fuller  powers  for  carrying  on 
the  humbler  but  no  less  important  duties  of  the  practi- 
tioner of  medicine? 


STATEMENTS  253 

H.  W.  E.  KNOWER 

Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  Medical  School,  University  of  Cincinnati 

As  far  as  my  experience  goes  with  students  entering 
the  medical  school  it  seems  clear  that  the  freedom  of 
election  which  has  been  permitted  them  in  the  high 
school  and  in  college  has  been  a  serious  disadvantage  to 
their  preparation  for  medicine.  Entirely  too  large  a 
proportion  of  these  students  have  had  an  insufficient 
amount  of  Latin.  Their  work  here  and  in  English  has 
too  often  been  superficial.  In  mathematics  very  few 
have  secured  a  satisfactory  working  knowledge. 

The  average  man  lacks  a  systematic  method  of 
thought,  and  exhibits  no  near  approach  to  the  mathe- 
matical precision  required  in  science,  and  more  needed 
every  day  in  ordinary  life.  A  number  of  courses  in 
school  will  teach  observation,  memorizing  or  descrip- 
tion, as  geography,  history  or  literature ;  but  in  biology, 
anatomy  or  physiology  it  is  necessary  in  addition  to  be 
able  to  draw  accurate,  safe  conclusions  from  collected 
data.  The  constructive  process  in  an  introduction  re- 
quires training  in  mathematical  reasoning.  This  is  not 
realized  by  most  persons  unfamiliar  with  the  modern 
demands  of  science  and  the  subjects  which  are  depend- 
ent on  her  results. 

If  medical  sciences  are  to  be  taught  as  anything  more 
than  mere  memory  work,  we  must  insist  on  our  stu- 
dents being  previously  trained  in  mathematics,  and 
much  more  rigidly  trained  than  they  now  seem  to  be. 
Their  method  of  thought  is  now  apt  to  be  diffuse,  un- 
systematic and  inconclusive;  apparently  because  of  the 
loose  way  in  which  they  have  been  hurried  through  a 
minimum  of  both  Latin  and  mathematics.  These  sub- 


254  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

jects  have  always  represented  substantial  mental  disci- 
pline, besides  forming  a  necessary  part  of  our  funda- 
mental equipment.  I  believe  that  more  time  and  more 
thorough  method  are  needed  for  both  Latin  and  mathe- 
matics in  the  high  school. 

W.  J.  MAYO 

Surgeon 
Rochester,  Minn. 

A  moderate  classical  education  is  essential  to  a  proper 
understanding  of  the  sciences,  and  is  necessary  for  clear, 
accurate  and  incisive  recording  and  transmission  of 
scientific  thought. 

CHARLES  H.  MAYO 

President  of  American  Medical  Association 

Surgeon 
Rochester,  Minn. 

The  enormous  increase  in  the  world's  knowledge 
which  has  developed  within  the  last  fifty  years  makes 
it  impossible  for  the  educated  man  to  become  master 
of  the  same  proportion  of  the  sum  total  of  knowledge  as 
formerly.  We  must  now  specialize  in  education  as  in 
all  other  lines  of  endeavor,  though  the  best  education 
must  be  constituted  of  a  liberal  as  well  as  a  practical 
training.  I  believe  that  four  years  of  Latin  should  be 
sufficient  preparation  in  the  classics  for  the  study  of  the 
scientific  professions. 

JOHN  A.  WYETH 

President  of  Medical  Board  of  the  Polyclinic  Hospital 
New  York  City 

I  am  altogether  in  favor  of  the  classics,  and  think  a 
fair  degree  of  perfection  in  these  should  be  a  require- 
ment for  graduation  from  our  colleges. 


STATEMENTS 

As  to  my  own  profession,  I  hold  that  no  one  should 
be  admitted  to  a  medical  school  who  has  not  a  classical 
education.  I  quote  from  an  address  made  by  me  at 
Louisville  in  1890: 

"Latin  is  essential  to  intelligent  medical  training,  and 
the  decline  of  Greek  in  the  classical  curriculum  is  cer- 
tainly, as  far  as  medicine  is  concerned,  a  great  mistake. 
In  Dunglison's  medical  dictionary  there  are  approxi- 
mately forty-one  thousand  words,  of  which  twenty 
thousand  are  derived  from  the  Greek  and  twenty-one 
thousand  from  the  Latin,  French,  Saxon  and  English." 

CHARLES  L.  DANA 

New  York  City 

For  about  fifteen  years  I  used  to  examine  thirty  or 
more  candidates  for  the  position  of  interne  at  Bellevue 
Hospital.  The  candidates  all  had  to  be  graduates  in 
medicine.  I  found  as  the  result  of  this  experience  that 
the  men  who  had  had  an  A.B.  degree  almost  invariably 
passed  better  examinations  and  later  made  better  in- 
ternes than  those  who  had  degrees  in  science  or  than 
those  who  had  no  college  training.  This  conclusion  was, 
I  think,  shared  with  me  by  the  other  members  of  the 
examining  committee. 

In  my  experience  through  life  in  dealing  with  medi- 
cal men  during  the  last  thirty  years,  I  can  say  with 
confidence  that  the  men  who  have  been  educated  in  col- 
leges and  received  the  A.B.  degree  have  been  much  the 
most  intelligent  and  satisfactory  and  successful.  Of 
course  this  is  only  the  personal  experience  of  one  who 
may  have  some  bias  in  the  matter. 

While  living  in  Venice  four  years  ago  I  was  making 


256  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

some  investigations  of  a  literary  and  scientific  character, 
and  spent  my  days  in  the  library  of  St.  Mark.  I  there 
became  tremendously  impressed  with  the  fact  all  the 
learning  and  activities  of  Europe  from  the  period  of  the 
Middle  Ages  to  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
was  practically  in  Latin;  and  there  was  an  immense 
volume  of  literature  practically  inaccessible  except  to 
those  who  are  familiar  with  that  tongue. 

Almost  every  one  who  is  working  hard  in  the  pursuit 
of  business  or  profession  needs  some  indoor  recreation. 
Some  take  it  in  cards,  in  billiards,  in  various  forms  of 
social  intercourse,  etc.  I  have  found  that  the  puzzling 
out  of  Latin,  especially  Latin  poetry,  was  more  amus- 
ing than  card  playing  or  the  study  of  the  problems  of 
chess  or  of  backgammon,  etc.  In  other  words,  reading 
Latin,  and  the  same  would  be  true  probably  of  Greek, 
furnishes  a  sort  of  perpetual  resource  to  those  who  are 
interested  in  working  out  the  intricacies  of  a  rather  diffi- 
cult tongue  and  who  desire  to  get  reward  by  the  final 
feeling  of  appreciation  of  a  beautiful  piece  of  literature. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  psychology  and  education 
I  know  absolutely,  as  much  as  one  can  know  absolutely, 
that  learning  Latin  is  an  excellent  method  of  training 
and  developing  the  mental  faculties,  involving  attention 
with  reward,  memory,  judgment  and  knowledge  of  the 
structure  of  language. 

ALEXANDER  DUANE 

New  York  City 

I  am  very  strongly  of  the  opinion  that  a  thorough 
course  of  Latin  and  Greek  furnishes  the  best  prepara- 
tion not  only  for  the  so-called  learned  professions,  law, 
medicine  and  theology,  but  also  for  scientific  and  tech- 


STATEMENTS  257 

nical  pursuits  and  for  business.  Such  study  furnishes 
an  effectual  remedy  against  the  narrowness  of  view  and 
the  limitation  of  ideas  that  an  exclusively  technical  and 
vocational  training  begets ;  and  by  drilling  and  sharpen- 
ing the  mental  faculties  it  enables  the  student  to  acquire 
much  more  readily  than  would  otherwise  be  possible  the 
knowledge  that  his  calling,  whatever  it  may  be,  de- 
mands. Furthermore,  because  of  the  grasp  of  general 
principles  and  the  habit  of  logical  thinking  that  it  im- 
parts, it  makes  him  an  abler  and  more  useful  man.  It 
thus  better  fits  him  not  only  for  his  special  business  but 
also  for  the  more  general  concerns  of  life.  And  it  does 
so  better  than  any  other  educational  scheme  yet  devised. 
Comparative  tests,  extending  now  over  many  years, 
have  proved  this  quite  conclusively. 

Personally,  then,  I  feel  that  in  the  training  of  the 
medical  man  some  things  usually  thought  unnecessary 
should  be  included  as  of  major  importance.  I  think  the 
physician  should  have  no  less  than  fifty  months  of  actual 
work  in  Latin,  and  should  have  read  Cicero,  Virgil  and 
Horace.  I  believe  that  every  physician  should  have 
devoted  at  least  thirty-six  months  of  actual  work  to 
Greek,  and  should  have  read  Homer,  the  dramatists  and 
Plato  in  the  original.  The  Greeks  were  by  far  the  most 
artistic  and  the  most  intellectual  people  the  world  has 
ever  seen;  their  literature  represented  the  highest  de- 
velopment of  ancient  thought,  and  their  language  was  a 
marvellously  delicate  and  powerful  instrument  for  the 
expression  of  that  thought.  The  study  of  that  language 
and  of  the  literature  in  the  original,  bringing  us  into 
intimate  contact  with  the  Greek  mind,  fulfills  better 
than  anything  that  has  yet  been  devised  the  prime  ob- 
jects of  education — information,  mental  culture,  men- 


258  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

tal  discipline  and  the  promotion  of  high  ideals.  There 
is,  indeed,  no  greater  training  for  the  mind  than  is 
furnished  by  the  study  of  the  Greek  language  and  the 
translation  of  Greek  originals;  and,  the  Bible  and 
Shakespeare  apart,  there  is  no  more  potent  means  of 
mental  culture  and  spiritual  uplift  than  is  furnished  by 
Greek  literature.  The  influence  of  Athens  is  as  vital 
today  as  it  was  when  Macaulay  paid  his  glowing  tribute. 
No  educated  man,  least  of  all  medical  men,  should  ever 
lose  personal  touch  with  the  classics. 

For  my  own  part  I  think  it  is  of  more  importance  for 
me  as  a  physician  to  have  read  Euripides  than  to  know 
the  technique  of  the  Wassermann  reaction.  I  believe 
that  it  is  of  greater  value  to  me  professionally  to  have 
studied  Greek  than  to  know  German.  This  opinion,  old 
fashioned  and  indeed  obsolete  as  it  may  seem,  is  based 
on  somewhat  extended  observation  of  different  educa- 
tional systems  for  a  good  many  years,  during  which  I 
have  seen  the  rise  and  fall  of  several  fads  and  have  ac- 
quired a  realizing  sense  of  what  one  most  practical  man 
meant  when  he  said:  "Prove  [test]  all  things;  hold 
fast  to  that  which  is  good."  I  hold  fast  to  Greek. 

JOHN  B.  DEAVER 

Philadelphia 

I  consider  Greek  and  Latin  essential  to  a  physician, 
particularly  Latin. 

WILLIAM  CAMPBELL  POSEY 

Philadelphia 

Latin  is  a  sine  qua  non  to  the  physician.  The  for- 
mulas of  his  prescriptions  are  embodied  in  that  Ian- 


STATEMENTS  259 

guage  and  most  early  medical  writings  found  expres- 
sion in  it. 

Both  Greek  and  Latin  give  to  the  physician  a  culture 
impossible  of  acquirement  by  other  means,  and  the 
higher  a  man's  culture,  the  better  he  is  prepared  to  min- 
ister to  the  needs  of  his  ailing  fellows. 

8.     ENGINEERING 
GANG  DUNN 

Former  President  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers 

Chairman  Committee  on  Engineering  of  National  Research  Council 

New  York  City 

I  am  a  strong  advocate  of  classical  studies  although 
trained  as  an  engineer  in  the  sciences  and  modern  lan- 
guages. 

E.  L.  CORTHELL 

President  American  Institute  of  Consulting  Engineers,  1915 
New  York  City 

I  say  here  advisedly,  and  as  the  result  of  experience, 
that  I  was  enabled  to  attack  and  solve  the  problems 
(engineering  or  constructive)  solely  by  the  discipline  of 
a  classical  education  at  Abington,  Exeter  and  Brown 
University.  There  is  no  opinion  about  this  matter;  it 
is  a  fact  that  has  appeared  plainly  many  times  in  my 
life,  then  and  since  then.  The  education  outlined  above 
has  enabled  me  to  do  things  that  I  never  could  have  done 
without  it.  It  has  given  me  power  in  my  professional 
work  during  the  last  forty-seven  years.  More  than 
that,  it  has  carried  me  far  afield  of  engineering  and  given 
me  worldwide  interests  along  many  lines  of  human  ac- 
tivity. What  I  have  said  about  the  real  value  of  a 
classical  education  in  my  own  case  I  can  say  from  per- 


260  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

sonal  knowledge  about  engineers  all  over  the  world 
where  my  business  and  my  interests  have  taken  me. 

LEWIS  BUCKLEY  STILLWELL 

Member  of  National  Research  Council 

Former  President  of  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers 
New  York  City 

For  Mr.  StillwelPs  address  see  page  70. 

HENRY  S.  DRINKER 

President  of  Lehigh  University 
For  President  Drinker's  statement  see  page  175. 

GEORGE  R.  CHATBURN 

President  of  The  Society  for  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education 
Professor  of  Applied  Mechanics,  University  of  Nebraska 

This  is  written  by  one  who  is  not  a  classical  scholar. 
In  my  college  courses  I  studied  German  and  French. 
My  classical  training  consists  of  a  short  course  in  the 
high  school;  translating  since  leaving  school,  for  my 
own  pleasure,  Caesar  and  Cicero;  and  the  reading  of 
translations  of  the  classics.  My  knowledge  of  Greek  is 
much  less.  I  have  therefore  only  a  limited  field  of  clas- 
sical experience.  But  notwithstanding,  the  classics  have 
been  almost  daily  of  practical  value  to  me. 

FREDERIC  L.  BISHOP 

Professor  of  Physics,  Dean  of  the  School  of  Engineering 

University  of  Pittsburgh 
Secretary  of  The  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education 

I  am  not  only  in  favor  of  students  in  high  schools 
who  intend  to  enter  engineering  schools  studying  Latin, 
but  my  experience  is  that  it  prepares  them  better  for 
the  study  of  English  and  other  culture  subjects,  so  im- 


STATEMENTS  261 

portant  to  engineers  of  today,  than  other  subjects  which 
students  often  take. 

ROBERT  H.  FERNALD 

Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering,  University  of  Pennsylvania 

There  is  no  question  that  a  knowledge  of  Latin  and 
Greek  is  of  appreciable  value  from  the  broadest  educa- 
tional standpoint.  Besides  a  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guages, a  student  adds  greatly  to  his  fundamental 
store  of  the  knowledge  of  history  and  art  and  has  a 
much  fuller  understanding  of  the  peoples  of  the  world, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  more  direct  value  due  to  an  in- 
creased appreciation  of  and  a  more  ready  use  of  our 
native  tongue.  I  believe  that  in  general  the  broader 
gauge  engineers  recognize  fully  the  cultural  value  of 
these  subjects. 

MORTIMER  E.  COOLEY 

Dean  of  College  of  Engineering,  University  of  Michigan 

With  a  knowledge  of  Latin,  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
can  be  learned  quickly  and  Latin  can  very  properly  be 
considered  a  preparation  for  them.  In  recognition  of 
this  we  give  Spanish  credit  in  our  College  of  Engineer- 
ing to  those  who  have  had  three  or  more  years  of  Latin, 
and  require  only  a  year  of  work  in  Spanish  to  complete 
our  requirements  in  modern  languages. 

We  also  include  Greek  in  our  list  of  entrance  require- 
ments here,  and  I  wish  every  engineer  had  the  time  to 
take  it.  Looking  back  over  our  alumni,  I  am  inclined 
to  believe  that  those  who  have  an  A.B.  degree  in  the 
classics  have  really  shown  greater  brilliancy  than  others. 

One  more  thought  comes  to  me,  namely,  that  the  en- 


VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

gineer  of  the  future  is  to  have  vastly  more  to  do  in  fields 
where  training  in  the  classics  will  be  important.  The 
country  is  going  to  need  more  and  more  men  of  vision 
to  handle  the  great  problems  of  public  relations. 

GEORGE  W.  PATTERSON 

Professor  of  Electrical  Engineering,  University  of  Michigan 

With  a  retrospect  of  twenty  years,  it  seems  to  me 
that  I  am  warranted  in  saying  that  I  could  have  better 
spared  any  other  course  that  I  took  in  high  school  than 
the  Latin.  If  something  must  have  gone,  if  I  could 
have  taken  but  three-fourths  of  the  subjects  that  I  took, 
the  Latin  would  be  first  and  foremost,  the  one  thing 
that  would  not  have  been  left  out. 

HERBERT  C.  SADLER 

Professor  of  Marine  Engineering,  University  of  Michigan 

As  a  means  of  inculcating  ideas  of  exactness  the  study 
of  Greek  and  Latin  is  facile  princeps. 

MILO  C.  KETCHAM 

Professor  of  Civil  Engineering,  Dean  of  the  College  of  Engineering 
University  of  Colorado 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion 
of  Engineering  Education,  held  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in 
June,  1914,  the  council,  consisting  of  about  thirty  of  the 
most  prominent  engineering  educators,  voted  unani- 
mously in  favor  of  the  classical  or  English  high  school 
course  as  a  preparation  for  an  engineering  course.  It 
was  the  opinion  of  those  present  that  the  full  four  years 
of  a  high  school  course  should  be  given  to  a  study  of 
the  classics,  literature,  history,  elementary  science  and 
mathematics. 


STATEMENTS  263 

L.  E.  AKELEY 

Professor  of  Physics 
Dean  of  College  of  Engineering,  University  of  South  Dakota 

The  future  engineer  needs  to  learn  to  think  during  a 
formative  period  some  years  antedating  his  opportunity 
of  acquiring  that  technical  information  that  is  to  con- 
stitute the  material  of  his  thinking  as  an  engineer.  The 
engineer  as  a  thinker  is  made  during  the  high  school 
period.  To  work  out  the  meaning  of  a  Greek  or  Latin 
sentence  requires  all  the  mental  process  of  logical  in- 
duction, deduction,  of  drawing  conclusions  from  a  mass 
of  facts,  and  of  insight,  that  are  used  in  the  solution  of 
a  complex  problem  in  electrical  engineering. 

J.  MAUGHS  BROWN 

Professor  of  Civil  Engineering,  University  of  South  Dakota 

It  is  on  the  part  the  study  of  the  classics  has  in  pro- 
ducing the  power  an  engineer  must  have  that  I  wish  to 
lay  emphasis.  The  foundation  stones  of  accuracy,  effi- 
ciency and  ability  to  reason,  upon  which  power  must  be 
built,  can  be  shaped  by  the  study  of  the  ancient  lan- 
guages as  well  as  by  mathematics.  These  languages 
which  require  a  close  attention  to  detail  and  precision  of 
interpretation,  followed  by  close  reasoning,  train  the 
mind  of  the  student  along  the  lines  he  must  later  follow 
in  his  professional  work.  The  value  to  us  is  that  we  are 
taught  how  to  think.  Thought  properly  controlled  is 
power. 

CHARLES  P.  STEINMETZ 

Consulting   Engineer 
General  Electric  Company 

It  is  my  opinion  that  this  neglect  of  the  classics  is 
one  of  the  most  serious  mistakes  of  modern  education, 


264  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

and  that  the  study  of  the  classics  is  very  important  and 
valuable,  and  more  so  in  the  education  of  the  engineer 
than  in  most  other  professions,  for  the  reason  that  the 
vocation  of  an  engineer  is  specially  liable  to  make  the 
man  one-sided.  ...  It  is  true  that  the  classics  are  not 
necessary  if  the  aim  is  to  fit  the  student  to  ply  the  trade 
of  engineer,  as  one  plies  that  of  the  plumber  or  the  boiler 
maker,  and  the  world,  especially  the  United  States,  is 
full  of  such  men,  who  have  learned  merely  the  trade  of 
engineer. 

F.  C.  ROBERTS 

Consulting  Engineer 
Philadelphia 

Imagination,  guided  by  constructive  thought  and 
logical  reasoning  in  the  application  of  science,  is  funda- 
mental to  success  in  the  practice  of  the  profession  of 
engineering.  The  discoveries  of  science  are  constantly 
opening  new  fields  of  engineering  effort,  wherein  the 
vision  and  dreams  of  today  become  the  realities  of  to- 
morrow. To  imagine,  to  visualize  and  by  the  applica- 
tion of  human  knowledge  to  create  that  which  adds  to 
man's  power  and  control  in  utilizing  and  directing  the 
resources  of  nature  is  no  mean  task.  It  is  a  task  that 
requires  a  well  trained  mind  and  a  nicely  regulated 
judgment;  characteristics  probable  as  the  result  of  a 
broad  and  liberal  education  and  improbable  as  the  con- 
sequence of  a  purely  technical  education.  Latin  is  re- 
garded, and  rightly  so,  as  one  of  the  necessities  of  a 
broad  and  liberal  education. 


STATEMENTS  265 

MORRIS  KNOWLES 

Civil  Engineer 
Pittsburgh 

I  am  one  who  has  not  had  the  chance  of  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  classical  studies  and  wish  to  express  the  opin- 
ion that  for  the  engineer  who  wishes  to  mould  public 
opinion  and  accomplish  large  things  in  the  world  (in 
addition  to  the  advantage  of  such  background  in  the  ful- 
fillment of  one's  duties  as  a  citizen)  it  is  important  that 
one  should  have  had  such  opportunities.  It  is  promis- 
ing much  that  there  is  a  return  to  the  idea  of  including 
liberal  subjects  in  the  curricula  of  engineering  schools. 


9.    PHYSICAL  AND  NATURAL  SCIENCES 

ERNEST  W.  BROWN 

President  of  the  American  Mathematical  Society 
Professor  of  Mathematics,  Yale  University 

I  am  afraid  that  what  I  can  contribute  on  the  question 
of  the  classics  is  of  little  value.  In  one  sense  I  regard 
them  on  the  same  plane  with  mathematics,  "the  prince 
of  all  [studies]  and  therefore  the  servant  of  all."  (The 
exact  quotation  escapes  me).  To  one  who  like  myself 
has  had  the  English  school  training  with  but  few  natu- 
ral gifts  for  the  study  of  languages  or  literature,  they 
have  at  least  helped  in  realizing  the  value  of  the  finer 
shades  of  thought  and  of  their  expression  in  words. 
This  training  went  far  enough  to  produce  a  critical  at- 
titude in  the  writing  of  English,  but  failed  to  produce 
the  excellence  of  style  which  frequently  characterized 
the  writings  of  those  who  made  a  special  study  of  the 
classics.  It  is  difficult  for  me  to  imagine  a  good  English 
scholar  who  is  not  a  fair  classical  student. 


266  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

GEORGE  ELLERY  HALE 

Director  Mount  Wilson  Solar  Observatory,  California 

Foreign  Secretary  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

Chairman  National  Research  Council 

Washington 

I  wish  it  were  possible  for  every  student  to  be  thor- 
oughly grounded  in  the  classics  and  to  have  the  great 
advantage  of  a  broad  acquaintance  with  the  civilization 
and  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome.  Nevertheless  I 
recognize  that  under  present  conditions  this  is  impossi- 
ble and  that  even  those  students  who  do  take  classical 
courses  too  often  fail  to  learn  the  languages  sufficiently 
well  to  profit  greatly  by  their  study.  The  object  in 
view,  as  I  see  it,  is  not  the  mechanism  of  a  language, 
though  even  the  details  of  grammar  may  become  inter- 
esting if  taught  with  reference  to  their  bearing  on  the 
evolution  of  the  race. 

In  the  case  of  those  who  do  not  have  the  opportunity 
or  desire  to  study  the  classics  in  the  original  I  should 
be  quite  willing  to  acquaint  them  with  Greek  literature 
through  the  aid  of  Jowett  and  other  great  translators. 
In  fact  I  heartily  believe  in  doing  this  for  the  benefit  of 
students  in  the  B.Sc.  and  B.Litt.  courses,  who  otherwise 
would  fail  to  have  any  conception  of  ancient  times.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  recognize  that  neither  Plato  nor 
Homer  can  be  translated  without  becoming  in  some 
measure  Jowett  or  Chapman.  I  shall  never  forget  my 
surprise  when  first  reading  some  of  the  "Inferno"  in 
Italian.  I  had  no  conception  of  the  extreme  beauty  of 
the  original  until,  aided  by  a  most  superficial  acquain- 
tance with  the  language,  I  glimpsed  Dante  himself 
through  his  sonorous  lines. 

Faced  on  the  one  hand  with  the  impossibility  of  reach- 


STATEMENTS  267 

ing  the  heart  of  classic  authors  through  translations  and 
on  the  other  by  the  fact  that  so  many  students  never 
get  far  enough  in  Greek  and  Latin  to  enjoy  their  read- 
ing, I  see  no  present  solution  of  the  difficulty  except  to 
offer  every  facility  for  classical  study  and  research  to 
those  who  can  make  use  of  them,  and  never  to  forget 
the  needs  of  the  man  who  through  limitations  of  any 
sort  cannot  study  Greek  or  Latin.  He  should  be  given 
the  best  acquaintance  with  the  classic  world  that  Eng- 
lish can  afford,  and  through  such  books  as  Breasted's 
"Ancient  Times"  he  should  be  made  to  feel  how  this 
civilization  grew  out  of  simpler  elements  and  how  it  is 
thus  related  to  the  earlier  stages  in  the  earth's  evolution 
studied  by  the  man  of  science. 

EDWIN  B.  FROST 

Member  of  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

Director  of  the  Yerkes  Observatory 

Williams  Bay,  Wis. 

I  regard  the  study  of  the  classics  as  of  the  greatest 
importance  in  the  training  of  those  who  purpose  to 
specialize  in  science.  Scientists  occupying  posts  of  in- 
fluence and  responsibility  must  be  handicapped,  whether 
consciously  or  not,  by  the  lack  of  classical  languages 
acquired  in  the  ordinary  preparatory  and  undergradu- 
ate work,  of  perhaps  four  to  six  years  of  Latin  and  two 
to  four  years  of  Greek.  New  words  must  be  added  to 
the  terminology  of  every  live  branch  of  science,  and 
such  words  should  be  based  upon  the  classical  languages 
in  order  to  be  adaptable  without  serious  change  to  other 
modern  languages.  The  teacher  or  investigator  con- 
stantly meets  such  words  in  his  work,  and  it  certainly 
must  be  annoying  to  him  if  he  is  unable  to  surmise 


268  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

closely  their  meaning  from  his  own  recollections  of  the 
classics. 

In  addition  to  textbooks  and  articles,  definitions  in 
dictionaries  and  cyclopedias  are  frequently  sought  from 
men  successful  in  a  specialty;  but  how  can  compliance 
properly  be  given  to  such  requests  without  some  under- 
standing of  the  classical  derivation  of  the  words  in- 
volved? The  editorial  function  also  often  devolves  upon 
the  scientist  and  teacher,  and  here  in  a  particular  degree 
the  authority  of  the  classics  must  be  invoked  on  disputed 
points  of  rhetoric  and  style. 

I  hardly  need  mention  the  obvious  advantage  of  an 
early  study  of  the  classics  as  a  foundation  for  that  exact 
knowledge  of  the  modern  languages  so  essential  to  a 
scientific  man. 

I  can  think  of  no  finer  example  of  the  investigator 
and  teacher  well  founded  in  the  classics  than  the  late 
Professor  Charles  Augustus  Young,  of  Princeton,  who 
used  that  knowledge  with  authority  but  without 
pedantry. 

WILLIAM  F.  MAGIE 

Former  President  of  the  American  Physical  Society 

Professor  of  Physics  and  Dean  of  the  Faculty 

Princeton  University 

The  most  practical  result  that  can  be  reached  by  a 
course  of  education  is  training  the  mind  to  think  quickly 
and  to  draw  correct  conclusions  from  the  data  presented 
to  it  by  any  problem.  Correct  inductive  thinking  is,  in 
my  opinion,  best  taught  to  the  boy  in  school  by  the  hon- 
est study  of  the  classical  authors.  I  believe  that  the  best 
training  which  a  student  can  get  in  the  inductive  process 
is  given  by  his  working  out,  with  the  aids  that  are  fur- 


STATEMENTS  269 

nished  him,  the  correct  meaning  of  passages  in  foreign 
languages  and  that  this  training  is  particularly  success- 
ful when  these  languages  are  the  classical  languages. 
In  my  opinion,  no  better  preparation  can  be  made  for 
the  study  of  the  sciences  or  for  the  practical  business 
of  life  than  by  the  study  of  the  classical  languages. 

For  Dean  Magic's  address  see  page  73. 

HENRY  CREW 

•Member  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
Former  President  American  Physical  Society 
Professor  of  Physics,  Northwestern  University 

The  domain  of  science  is  one  of  precise  ideas.  The 
expression  of  these  ideas  calls  for  the  accurate  use  of 
language.  No  man  who  has  definite  results  to  describe 
ever  fails  to  appreciate  a  clear  and  unambiguous  use  of 
his  mother  tongue. 

Granted  that  an  American  student  of  science  ought 
to  acquire  the  ability  to  write  clearly  in  the  tongue  of 
Shakespeare,  what  is  the  quickest  route?  It  is  my  ex- 
perience that  the  short  path  to  the  simple  and  precise 
English  needed  by  a  man  of  science  lies  through  the 
tongues  of  Homer  and  Virgil.  Even  more  essential  are 
a  few  years  of  classical  study  for  the  American  lad  who 
hopes  to  acquire  a  perspective  in  the  world,  who  hopes 
later  to  be  liberated  from  his  specialty,  who  hopes  in 
short  for  a  liberal  education. 

E.  P.  LEWIS 

Professor  of  Physics,  University  of  California 

I  think  that  it  is  generally  true  that  students  who 
have  had  the  advantage  of  a  cultural  high  school  course, 
including  Latin,  are  more  successful  in  scientific  and 


270  VALUE    OF    THE   CLASSICS 

engineering  studies  than  those  whose  course  has  been 
largely  vocational  and  "practical."  I  believe  that  "cul- 
ture" is  a  state  of  mind  rather  than  the  direct  product  of 
either  information  or  discipline.  While  I  do  not  think 
that  the  attainment  of  this  state  of  mind  is  impossible 
without  Latin,  I  do  believe  that  this  language  can  con- 
tribute a  large  measure  to  it. 

CHARLES  H.  HERTY 

President  American  Chemical  Society,  1915-1916 

Editor  of  Journal  of  Industrial  and  Engineering  Chemistry 

New  York  City 

For  Professor  Herty's  address  see  page  63. 


EDGAR  F.  SMITH 

Member  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

Former  President  American  Chemical  Society 

Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 

For  Provost  Smith's  statement  see  page  174. 


HARVEY  W.  WILEY 

Former  Chief  Chemist  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
Former  President  American  Chemical  Society 

The  man  who  has  been  profoundly  trained  in  Latin 
and  Greek  can  express  his  thoughts  in  English  with 
greater  clearness  and  thus  give  them  greater  efficiency. 
Biological  chemistry  is  practically  written  in  the  Greek 
language.  The  language  of  botany  is  essentially  Latin 
in  so  far  as  the  names  of  the  plants  are  concerned,  and 
Greek  in  the  names  which  deal  with  the  anatomy  of  the 
plants  and  their  organs.  The  language  of  mathematics 
is  largely  Greek;  the  language  of  medicine,  Greek  and 
Latin  combined.  The  common  language  of  the  home  is 
largely  Latin  and  Greek.  The  knowledge  of  Latin  and 


STATEMENTS  271 

Greek  is  practical,  even  in  the  restricted  modern  appli- 
cation of  the  term.  The  day  is  far  distant  when  lan- 
guage study  will  no  longer  be  a  very  important  consti- 
tuent of  every  scheme  of  education. 

ALEXANDER  SMITH 

Member  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
Former  President  American  Chemical  Society 
Professor  of  Chemistry,  Columbia  University 

My  opinion  is  that  the  classical  languages  are  better 
taught  than  are  the  modern  languages — at  least  that  was 
my  experience — and  that  therefore  better  mental  train- 
ing is  secured  by  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek.  I  feel 
also  that  a  scholarly  knowledge  of  the  English  language 
can  only  be  obtained  by  a  study  of  the  languages,  such 
as  Latin,  Greek  and  Anglo-Saxon,  from  which  it  is  de- 
rived. I  fail  to  see  how  a  student  can  master  the  tech- 
nical vocabulary  of  the  sciences,  and  particularly  of  the 
medical  sciences,  without  a  knowledge  of  the  classical 
languages. 

L.  W.  McCAY 

Chairman  of  Department  of  Chemistry,  Princeton  University 

The  importance  of  a  thorough  grounding  in  the  clas- 
sics for  all  who  seek  a  liberal  education  has  been  recog- 
nized and  insisted  upon  by  me  ever  since  I  left  Prince- 
ton in  1878.  My  graduate  work  was  done  at  the  Royal 
Mining  School  at  Freiberg,  Saxony,  and  it  was  here,  at 
the  beginning  of  my  life  work,  that  my  attention  was 
first  called  to  the  extraordinary  difference  in  mental  as 
well  as  practical  ability  existing  between  the  classically 
educated  men  and  those  whose  preparation  for  a  scien- 
tific career  had  been  mainly  technical.  The  most  bril- 


272  VALUE    OF   THE   CLASSICS 

liant  students  in  my  day  were  the  Abiturienten  of  the 
Gymnasia;  then  followed  those  of  the  Realschulen. 
The  former  not  only  led  us  all  in  the  classroom  and 
laboratory  work,  but  their  familiarity  with  the  classics 
was  remarkable.  They  had  a  fine  command  of  lan- 
guage, an  ease  and  confidence  in  conversation  which  was 
delightful,  and  their  acquaintance  with  French  and  in 
some  cases  English  surprised  me.  Most  of  them  spoke 
French,  and  there  were  but  few  who  could  not  at  least 
read  English.  Their  aptitude  and  general  information 
occasioned  much  comment  among  the  American  college 
men.  The  fact  that  while  their  training  had  been  for 
the  most  part  classical  they  mastered  all  scientific  and 
technical  subjects  with  ease  made  a  deep  impression  on 
me,  for  I  had  always  supposed,  when  a  student  at 
Princeton,  that  the  time  devoted  to  a  study  of  Greek 
and  Latin  was  all  lost,  that  the  knowledge  acquired 
could  be  of  no  earthly  use  to  me  as  a  propaedeutic  to 
courses  in  mining  and  metallurgical  engineering. 

I  was  too  young  and  inexperienced  then  to  realize  that 
it  was  the  mental  discipline  developed  by  the  study  of 
the  classics  which,  so  far  as  my  future  work  was  con- 
cerned, was  the  main  thing.  During  the  four  years 
spent  in  Freiberg  I  learned  too  that  Greek  and  Latin 
are  valuable  not  only  as  mental  disciplines,  but  that  an 
acquaintance  with  the  literature  of  the  ancients  at  once 
stamps  a  man  as  one  of  parts  and,  whatever  his  profes- 
sion may  be,  admits  him  to  companionship  with  the  best 
minds.  The  classical  education  which  I  received  at 
Princeton  was  certainly  a  great  asset  in  winning  for 
me  the  attention  and  respect  of  my  professors  and  the 
better  class  of  students.  The  Realschulen  men  were 


STATEMENTS  273 

also  clever  and  attractive,  eager,  enterprising  and  en- 
thusiastic, but,  with  a  few  exceptions,  they  never  seemed 
to  equal  quite  those  from  the  Gymnasia,  a  fact  I  have 
since  believed  was  due  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  Greek 
which,  as  is  known,  is  required  in  the  Gymnasia  in  addi- 
tion to  Latin.  The  latter  was  the  only  ancient  language 
taught  in  the  Realgymnasia  or  the  Realschulen,  the 
students  being  required  to  devote  the  greater  part  of 
their  time  to  mathematics,  the  sciences  and  modern  lan- 
guages. I  had  also  an  excellent  opportunity  in  those 
days  to  compare  the  classically  educated  American  col- 
lege man  with  the  college  graduate  who  had  specialized 
at  home  in  mathematics  and  the  sciences  with  the  view 
of  preparing  for  his  engineering  studies.  The  former 
was  decidedly  the  abler  and,  so  far  as  social  influences 
and  relations  were  concerned,  by  all  odds  the  more  at- 
tractive and  companionable  man.  At  the  mining  schools 
in  my  day  there  were  students  from  the  schools  and 
educational  institutions  of  all  lands,  and  for  this  very 
reason  I  had  an  exceptionally  good  opportunity  to  gen- 
eralize. The  men  who  had  received  a  classical  training 
were  in  general  the  best  students.  Later,  while  continu- 
ing my  chemical,  mineralogical  and  geological  studies  in 
Heidelberg,  I  noticed  the  same  thing.  The  Germans, 
Americans,  Englishmen,  Russians,  etc.,  who  had  been 
well  grounded  in  the  classics  were  intellectually  and  so- 
cially the  leaders. 

These  observations  were  made  over  thirty  years  ago, 
but  I  have  at  no  time  since  had  reason  to  alter  my  views. 
My  best  students  in  chemistry  have  been  the  candidates 
for  the  A.B.  degree.  They  are  brighter,  more  acquisi- 
tive and  abler  in  their  powers  than  the  B.S.  and  Litt.B. 


274.  VALUE    OF    THE   CLASSICS 

men.  I  regret  that  in  recent  years  so  few  of  our  A.B. 
students  have  elected  the  chemical  department.  They 
are  not  always  the  best  manipulators,  but  in  theory  they 
have  certainly  equalled  and,  in  most  instances,  excelled 
their  B.S.  classmates. 

So  far  as  the  pure  sciences  are  concerned  I  confine 
myself  to  the  observations  I  have  made  as  a  teacher  of 
chemistry.  I  believe,  however,  that  in  mathematics, 
physics  and  geology,  the  ablest  men  are  also  those  who 
have  had  a  classical  training.  I  say  this,  and  say  it  with- 
out any  hesitancy,  for  I  have  in  mind  my  early  Freiberg 
experiences. 

The  man  who  can  do  but  one  thing,  I  care  not  how 
well  he  does  it,  is  rarely  a  good  mixer.  This  one-sided- 
ness  is,  of  course,  the  result  of  his  vocational  training. 
Compare  many  of  our  scientific  men  of  today  with  the 
broad  minded,  highly  cultured  giants  of  the  past  gener- 
ation. The  specialist  has  his  place,  it  is  true,  does  ad- 
mirable work  and  stands  high  in  the  esteem  of  his  asso- 
ciates; but  apart  from  his  profession  he  rarely  shines. 
He  lacks  that  ease,  freedom,  engaging  address  and 
knowledge  of  the  social  and  intellectual  world  which  are 
alone  characteristic  of  the  liberally  cultured.  We  hear 
so  often  nowadays  that  the  old  order  is  changing,  that 
to  keep  abreast  of  the  times  our  young  men  must  de- 
vote themselves  to  those  studies  which  will  be  of  practi- 
cal use  to  them  in  after  life.  Many  colleges  have  done 
away  with  Greek  as  a  requirement  for  the  A.B.  degree, 
and  efforts  are  now  being  made  to  drop  Latin  as  a  re- 
quirement for  the  B.S.  degree.  My  conviction  is  that 
to  omit  the  study  of  the  Latin  language  in  our  schools 
and  colleges  will  be  to  devitalize  our  educational  sys- 


STATEMENTS  275 

tern.  To  relegate  Greek  to  the  category  of  electives  is 
bad  enough,  but  consider  the  intellectual  status  of  a  col- 
lege graduate  who  has  had  no  Latin. 

I  cannot  bring  myself  to  sympathize  with  the  present 
utilitarian  schemes  of  education  which  are  the  outcome 
of  materialism  and  commercialism.  The  principle  un- 
derlying all  such  schemes  seems  to  me  to  be  prosperity, 
material  prosperity !  Our  sense  for  dignity,  for  beauty, 
for  morality,  for  all  that  lends  polish,  refinement  and 
elegance  to  life  is  to  be  neglected,  or,  at  the  most,  made 
subordinate  to  our  material  welfare.  I  have  given  this 
matter  much  thought  and  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the 
present  tendencies  in  our  American  education  are  due 
mainly  (1)  to  the  intense  dislike  the  average  boy  has 
for  difficult  tasks,  (2)  to  the  plastic  and  submissive  na- 
ture of  his  parents,  for  American  parents  are  proverbi- 
ally indulgent,  (3)  to  the  eagerness  of  the  young  man 
to  finish  his  education  as  soon  as  possible  and  enter  upon 
his  vocation  and  (4)  to  the  sordid  tendency  of  apprais- 
ing every  discipline  according  to  its  usefulness  in  pro- 
moting material  success. 

The  more  I  see  of  the  graduates  of  many  of  our  col- 
leges and  universities,  the  more  I  am  convinced  that  the 
ideas  underlying  our  undergraduate  curriculum  here  in 
Princeton  are  sound.  Our  record  is  an  excellent  one. 
Let  us  hold  fast  then  to  what  reason  and  experience  have 
taught  us  is  best  in  rounding  out  our  young  men  and 
preparing  them  for  their  struggles  in  the  world.  Above 
all  things  let  us  beware  of  making  specialists  of  them. 

The  assistants  employed  in  our  chemical  department 
are  not  only  Princeton  graduates  but  graduates  of  col- 
leges scattered  all  over  the  country.  These  assistants 


276  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

are  appointed  annually  and  with  the  utmost  care  from 
a  large  number  of  splendidly  recommended  men.  The 
Princeton  graduates  have  thus  far  proved  the  abler. 
Their  success  in  teaching  has  been  more  pronounced, 
they  are  broader  in  their  conceptions  and  sympathies 
than  most  of  the  men  from  the  other  colleges,  have  a 
more  thorough  grasp  of  the  science  of  chemistry  as  a 
whole,  and  their  ease  and  self-assurance  are  marks 
which  indicate  the  effectiveness  of  their  liberal  training. 

My  belief  is  that  the  Latin  which  is  required  of  all 
our  college  students  is  in  no  small  degree  responsible 
for  the  exceptionally  good  showing  made  by  these  men. 
It  is  a  significant  fact  too  that  our  assistants  and 
instructors  who  have  had  Greek  in  addition  to  Latin, 
our  A.B.  graduates,  have  turned  out  to  be  the  most  bril- 
liant of  all.  So  far  then  as  my  experience  as  a  scientific 
man  goes,  I  can  find  in  these  recent  educational  schemes 
nothing  which  approaches  in  disciplinary  value  the  lib- 
eral system  in  use  here  in  Princeton,  a  system  in  which 
Latin  is  one  of  the  requirements. 

Omitting  the  role  played  by  the  classics  as  regards 
mental  discipline,  their  value,  as  I  see  it,  may  be  stated 
very  briefly: 

Familiarity  with  the  Greek  and  Latin  grammars  is 
of  considerable  importance  in  that  it  aids  us  in  master- 
ing our  own  tongue,  and  in  acquiring  a  knowledge  of 
other  modern  languages; 

So  closely  interwoven  are  the  conceptions  and  ideals 
of  the  ancients  in  the  literature  of  the  moderns  that  to 
read  intelligently  any  of  the  famous  works  of  the  latter 
assumes  some  knowledge  of  the  humanities,  and 

The  study  of  the  classics  effects  a  charm,  a  refine- 


STATEMENTS  277 

ment,  a  polish,  instantly  felt  but  impossible  to  describe. 
To  be  conversant  with  the  great  productions  of  the 
writers  and  artists  of  antiquity,  works  which  time  and 
experience  have  stamped  as  models  of  perfection,  is  to 
possess  a  power  recognized  in  all  walks  of  life.  He 
who  has  mastered  his  profession  and  acquired  in  addi- 
tion at  least  some  acquaintance  with  the  humanities  is 
the  truly  liberally  educated  man.  Mere  knowledge 
gives  weight,  but  lustre  alone  gives  charm.  The  prac- 
tically educated  man  lacks  lustre.  Both  attainments 
are  essential.  In  the  great  world  knowledge  unadorned 
may  command  respect,  but  it  never  captivates.  Mater- 
iam  superabat  opus. 

F.  C.  PHILLIPS 

Professor  of  Chemistry,  University  of  Pittsburgh 

As  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  old  faculty  (old 
Western  University),  I  cannot  help  expressing  here 
the  pleasure  I  have  felt  in  seeing  these  young  men  of 
character  and  ability  with  whom  I  was  long  ago  so 
agreeably  associated  now  occupying  responsible  posi- 
tions of  leadership  in  the  great  industries  and  in  the 
professions.  In  contributing  to  their  successful  careers 
I  am  now  convinced  that  a  high  standard  of  scholarship 
in  the  classics  has  in  many  cases  played  a  conspicuous 
part. 

W.  A.  NOYES 

Member  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
Editor  Journal  of  American  Chemical  Society 
Professor  of  Chemistry,  University  of  Illinois 

I  have  always  considered  that  the  training  in  the  ac- 
curate use  of  language  which  has  come  from  my  study 


278  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

of  Latin  and  Greek  has  been  of  very  great  advantage 
to  me  as  a  teacher  and  that  the  habits  acquired  in  classi- 
cal studies  have  furnished  a  good  basis  for  sound  schol- 
arship in  scientific  lines.  The  grammatical  and  philo- 
logical work  of  the  classical  student  enables  one  to  ac- 
quire much  more  easily  the  ability  to  correlate  scat- 
tered items  found  in  complex  scientific  literature. 


Louis  KAHLENBERG 

Professor  of  Chemistry,  University  of  Wisconsin 

Permit  me  to  state  that  I  consider  work  in  languages 
and  mathematics  of  special  importance  as  a  preparation 
for  a  scientific  career  in  the  university.  I  have  always 
felt  that  scientific  students  are  especially  lacking  in  lin- 
guistic training,  which  is  to  a  considerable  extent  to  be 
ascribed  to  the  fact  that  even  in  their  high  school  work 
they  begin  to  devote  time  to  the  study  of  sciences  which 
ought  to  be  devoted  to  securing  a  solid  foundation  in 
languages.  The  study  of  German  is  of  special  impor- 
tance to  any  one  who  intends  to  pursue  science,  but  I 
feel  that  a  knowledge  of  Latin  is  extremely  desirable. 
And  certainly  the  mental  training  that  comes  to  a  stu- 
dent who  has  studied  both  Greek  and  Latin  in  addition 
to  German  is  especially  calculated  to  give  him  that  men- 
tal strength  which  is  so  essential  to  students  in  future 
scientific  work.  The  work  in  science  can  best  be  done  in 
a  university,  and  any  student  in  a  high  school  who  is 
looking  forward  to  a  scientific  course  in  the  university 
would,  in  my  opinion,  do  well  to  spend  a  major  portion 
of  his  time  upon  the  study  of  mathematics  and  classics. 
I  make  these  statements  because  of  my  experience  with 
students  of  about  equal  ability  who  have  devoted  their 


STATEMENTS  279 

time  to  classics  on  the  one  hand,  and  elementary  science 
on  the  other,  before  approaching  scientific  work  in  the 
university.  Ultimately  the  stronger  men  have  invari- 
ably been  those  who  have  had  strong  basal  work  in  lan- 
guages and  mathematics. 


WILLIAM  BERRYMAN  SCOTT 

Member  National  Acadmy  of  Sciences 

Vice-President  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society 

Blair  Professor  of  Geology,  Princeton  University 

For  Professor  Scott's  address  see  page  66. 


HENRY  FAIRFIELD  OSBORN 

Member  National  Academy  of  Science 

President  of  American  Museum  of  Natural  History 

New  York  City 

I  owe  a  very  deep  debt  to  my  studies  in  philosophy 
and  the  classics  while  at  Princeton.  Greek  is  so  closely 
interwoven  with  all  biologic  language  and  thought,  and 
the  Greek  philosophers  are  so  inspiring  in  their  incur- 
sions into  natural  philosophy  and  zoology  that  without 
a  Greek  foundation  one  certainly  cannot  reach  the  philo- 
sophic or  the  cultural  level  in  modern  biology.  The 
same  is  true,  in  a  less  degree,  of  Latin.  In  "The  Greeks 
to  Darwin"  and  in  my  recent  work  "Men  of  the  Old 
Stone  Age"  I  have  traced  the  sources  of  all  modern 
biologic  thought  back  to  the  Greeks.  Their  anticipa- 
tion of  modern  theories  and  speculations  is  little  short 
of  miraculous,  considering  the  comparatively  slender 
range  of  their  observations.  The  same  holds  true  in 
lesser  measure  of  Latin,  which  since  the  time  of  Lin- 
naeus has  been  the  thought  companion  of  the  naturalist. 

As  I  recall  the  methods  of  my  Latin  and  Greek  edu- 


280  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

cation,  however,  I  am  impressed  with  the  lack  of  inspira- 
tion and  of  vitality,  and  believe  that  the  survival  of 
these  studies  in  the  future  depends  largely  upon  the 
ability  of  our  teachers  of  the  classics  to  draw  constant- 
ly the  parallel  between  ancient  and  modern  thought  and 
life,  the  cause  of  which  doubtless  lies  in  our  unchanging 
human  nature. 

JOHN  M.  CLAKKE 

Member  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

President  of  the  Geological  Association  of  America,  1916 

Chairman  of  Committee  on  Geology  of  the  National  Research  Council 

.   Director  of  the  State  Museum  of  New  York 

Albany 

My  life  has  been  given  over  to  scientific  problems  of 
varying  calibre  and  I  am  often  reckoned  by  my  col- 
leagues and,  I  think,  the  outside  world  as  a  matter  of 
course  the  product  of  the  technical  school.  I  am  very 
happy  and  have  always  been  very  happy  that  I  am  not 
that,  even  though  I  today  have  only  Greek  enough  to 
help  me  anneal  mongrel  scientific  names,  and  just  suffi- 
cient shredded  Latin  to  keep  me  in  touch  with  the  din- 
ners of  Lucullus.  I  owe  to  a  rigorous  discipline  in 
Greek  and  in  Latin,  a  substratum  upon  which,  I  believe, 
with  natural  tastes  for  science,  I  have  been  able  to  build 
such  superstructure  as  now  stands  to  my  credit  or  other- 
wise. 

The  effort  so  obviously  abroad  in  the  world  to  repress 
the  classical  training  of  youth  will,  I  may  say  for 
science,  prick  the  happiest  dreams  and  the  most  com- 
pelling hopes  of  any  philosophy  which  has  its  foothold 
in  the  phenomena  of  nature. 


STATEMENTS  281 

N.  C.  GROVER 

Chief  Hydrographer 

United  States  Geological  Survey 

Washington 

The  principal  function  of  education  is  to  teach  men 
and  women  to  think  and  thereby  prepare  them  to  act. 
The  first  and  most  important  measure  of  the  educa- 
tional value  of  a  particular  study  or  course  of  study  is, 
therefore,  its  effect  in  developing  accuracy  and  rapidity 
in  the  reasoning  powers  of  the  students.  If  such  study 
also  furnishes  information  which  will  be  of  future  value, 
a  double  object  is  accomplished.  Many  of  us,  however, 
recognize  only  the  value  of  the  information  acquired 
and  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  the  first  essential  of  edu- 
cation is  the  training  of  the  mind.  That  the  study  of 
Latin  affords  an  excellent  drill  is  recognized  by  all  stu- 
dents of  the  classics.  Latin  textbooks  are  excellent, 
and,  as  a  result,  the  teaching  of  Latin  is  generally  thor- 
ough and  satisfactory. 

The  study  of  Latin  is  more  than  a  mental  drill,  how- 
ever. It  furnishes  a  knowledge  of  the  modern  lan- 
guages, French,  Spanish,  Italian  and  English,  which 
cannot  be  acquired  in  any  other  way,  since  Latin  has 
given  to  those  languages  in  considerable  measure  their 
form  and  vocabulary.  To  us,  of  course,  the  effect  on 
the  acquirement  of  a  working  knowledge  of  the  English 
language  is  of  greatest  importance.  In  my  opinion  the 
training  in  the  conversion  of  ideas  into  clear,  concise 
and  accurate  language  is  second  only  in  importance,  as 
a  function  of  education,  to  the  training  of  the  mind  in 
reasoning.  Each  one  must  convert  his  thought  into 
spoken  or  written  language,  and  the  greater  the  ability 
to  do  this  the  better  the  chances  for  one  to  rise  to  a  po- 


282  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

sition  of  both  influence  and  affluence.  From  observa- 
tion of  several  hundred  college  graduates  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  average  man  who  completes  a  college 
course  is  wholly  weak  in  his  ability  to  speak  and  write 
English.  A  study  of  Latin  will,  in  my  opinion,  assist 
to  remedy  this  deficiency. 

W.  J.  HOLLAND 

Director  of  the  Carnegie  Institute 
Pittsburgh 

In  the  higher  walks  of  scientific  research,  more  par- 
ticularly as  represented  by  the  so-called  "natural  sci- 
ences," a  good  knowledge  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  lan- 
guages is  almost  indispensable.  The  terminology  of 
these  sciences  is  derived  almost  wholly  from  these  two 
languages,  and  the  coining  of  new  generic  and  specific 
names,  which  are  constantly  called  for  as  the  boundaries 
of  knowledge  are  enlarged,  demands  of  the  student — 
especially  if  he  be  engaged  in  descriptive  work — a  rea- 
sonable familiarity  with  the  Greek  language,  the  laws 
which  govern  the  combination  of  words  in  that  tongue, 
and  their  Latinization.  A  knowledge  of  the  rules  gov- 
erning inflections  and  their  significance  is  of  great  im- 
portance, to  the  end  that  ridiculous  blunders  be  not 
perpetrated.  I  will  not  go  into  details,  as  I  might,  but 
will  quote  what  one  of  my  dear  friends,  the  late  Profes- 
sor Edward  Hitchcock,  once  said  in  my  hearing.  Re- 
ferring to  the  labors  of  his  famous  father,  President 
Hitchcock,  who  was  one  of  the  foremost  geologists  of 
America,  he  remarked,  "My  father  never  could  have 
written  his  great  work  upon  the  fossil  footprints  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  had  he  not  been  able  to  read  the 
poems  of  Homer  in  the  original." 


STATEMENTS  283 

H.  H.  DONALDSON 

Chairman  Committee  on  Anatomy  in  National  Research  Council 

President  of  Association  of  American  Anatomists,  1916-1917 

Professor  of  Neurology,  The  Wistar  Institute 

Philadelphia 

For  Professor  Donaldson's  address  see  page  60. 

EDWIN  GRANT  CONKLIN 

Member  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

President  American  Society  of  Naturalists,  1912 

Chairman  of  the  Department  of  Biology,  Princeton  University 

There  is  no  doubt  that  a  knowledge  of  Latin  and 
Greek  is  of  great  service  to  the  student  of  science.  Most 
of  our  scientific  terms  are  derived  from  one  or  the  other 
of  these  languages ;  these  technical  terms  are  frequently 
disturbing  or  even  terrifying  to  the  uninitiated,  but  they 
are  usually  intelligible  and  full  of  significance  to  the 
student  familiar  with  the  classical  languages. 

H.  V.  WILSON 

Professor  of  Zoology,  University  of  North  Carolina 

To  those  who  think  of  entering  natural  science  or  one 
of  the  allied  professions  and  who  have  some,  not  neces- 
sarily great,  degree  of  ability  to  learn  a  foreign  lan- 
guage and  who  fortunately  are  not  so  pressed  for  time 
as  to  be  forced  to  restrict  their  study  of  language  to 
tongues  in  which  reports  of  current  progress  in  their 
profession  are  usually  made,  classical  studies  will  con- 
tinue, I  believe,  for  many  years  to  be  a  very  great  help. 

CHARLES  A.  KOFOID 

Assistant  Director   Scripps   Institute   of  Biological   Research 
Professor  of  Zoology,  University  of  California 

A  knowledge  of  the  vocabulary  and  grammatical 
forms  of  the  Latin  language  is  of  very  great  practical 


284  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

value  to  every  student  of  the  pure  and  of  the  applied 
sciences.  It  is  of  great  help  in  understanding  scientific 
terms,  and  indispensable  for  scholarly  work  in  the 
sciences.  The  language  of  science  is  founded  on  Latin. 

CHAELES  E.  BESSEY 

Late  Professor  of  Botany,  University  of  Nebraska 

I  have  always  urged  students  who  hope  to  do  much 
botany  to  prepare  themselves  in  Latin  and  Greek.  It 
is  a  rule  among  systematic  botanists  that  all  descrip- 
tions of  new  species  must  be  in  Latin,  and  it  is  the  prac- 
tice of  many  to  write  all  of  their  general  systematic 
works  in  the  Latin  language.  The  standard  descrip- 
tive works  are  in  Latin.  For  this  reason  I  urge  every 
student  who  looks  to  systematic  work  in  botany  to  have 
an  adequate  preparation  in  Latin.  The  need  for  Greek 
is  somewhat  different,  since  it  is  important  to  the  botan- 
ist in  connection  with  the  etymologies  of  a  multitude  of 
technical  terms,  and  especially  the  scientific  names  of 
plants  and  plant  groups,  phyla,  classes,  orders,  fami- 
lies and  genera. 

In  my  experience  as  a  teacher  of  botany  to  college 
students  I  have  urged  them  to  secure  first  a  good  foun- 
dation in  Latin  and  Greek,  and,  while  I  have  trained 
some  young  botanists  who  have  had  only  "little  Latin 
and  less  Greek,"  it  is  true  that  all  have  profitably  made 
use  of  all  the  classical  training  they  have  had,  and  very 
generally  have  wished  for  more. 

DOUGLAS  H.  CAMPBELL 

Professor  of  Botany,  Stanford  University 
California 

My  own  college  course  (University  of  Michigan) 
was  the  "Latin  Scientific,"  including  a  pretty  full 


STATEMENTS  285 

course  in  Latin,  but  no  Greek.  I  happened  to  be  rather 
fond  of  language  work,  and  so  thoroughly  enjoyed  my 
Latin  courses.  How  far  the  training  in  the  language 
work  was  of  service  as  intellectual  exercise  I  don't  feel 
able  to  say ;  certainly  I  not  only  do  not  regret  the  time 
spent  in  languages  but  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  have 
missed  the  pleasure  the  language  work  afforded  me, 
whether  or  not  my  scientific  work  was  aided.  At  any 
rate  I  am  sure  my  outlook  was  broadened  by  this  work 
and  a  permanent  source  of  pleasure  provided. 

SPENCER  TROTTER 

Head  of  Biological  Department,  Swarthmore  College 

I  consider  a  course  of  classical  study,  both  in  Latin 
and  Greek,  an  essential  foundation  to  the  right  under- 
standing and  appreciation  of  any  science. 

It  gives  a  certain  value  and  perspective  to  human 
affairs  which  comes  from  a  knowledge  of  the  culture 
and  thought  of  the  past. 

The  influence  of  classical  study  is  broadening  in  that 
it  tends  to  counteract  the  often  too  restricted  and  my- 
opic vision  of  scientific  specialism. 

No  knowledge  of  a  science  can  properly  be  acquired 
until  the  terminology  of  that  science  is  mastered,  and 
this  terminology  is  in  the  main  of  Greek  and  Latin 
origin. 

Aside  from  mere  science,  however,  the  pleasure  de- 
rived from  even  a  casual  acquaintance  with  the  words 
and  thoughts  of  the  ancient  writers  is  in  itself  enough  to 
make  a  study  of  the  classics  invaluable. 


286  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

H.  S.  GRAVES 

Member  National  Conservation  Commission,  1908 
Chief  of  United  States  Forest  Service 

I  am  most  emphatically  in  favor  of  the  study  of  Latin 
as  a  basis  for  a  liberal  education,  and  I  believe  that  it 
should  be  required  also  as  one  of  the  subjects  prepara- 
tory to  professional  studies. 

W.  L.  JEPSON 

Associate  Professor  of  Dendrology,  University  of  California 

For  any  boy  who  expects  to  take  up  law,  medicine  or 
any  branch  of  pure  science  Latin  is  of  primary  impor- 
tance. 

WILLIAM  A.  CREDITT 

Principal  of  the  Industrial  and  Agricultural  School 
Downingtown,  Pa. 

I  regard  these  two  languages  (Greek  and  Latin)  not 
only  as  essentials  for  a  thorough  classical  education,  but 
I  regard  them  as  essentials  to  the  best  possible  English 
education. 

HENRY  KRAEMER 

Editor  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy 

Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy 

Philadelphia 

I  consider  the  study  of  Latin  not  only  good  discipline 
and  of  value  to  the  scientific  career,  but  it  is  equally 
valuable  to  any  one  who  uses  language  as  an  expres- 
sion of  thought.  This  applies  to  letter  writing,  conver- 
sation, a  business  note  and  even  ordinary  business  trans- 
actions. To  be  a  power  one  must  know  how  to  use 
language;  and  how  can  you  place  words  together  un- 
less you  know  their  derivation  and  their  real  meaning? 


STATEMENTS  287 

10.     EDITORS 

CHARLES  R.  MILLER 

Editor  of  the  New  York  Times 
New  York  City 

For  Mr.  Miller's  address  see  page  93. 

EDWARD  P.  MITCHELL 

Editor  of  The  Sun 
New  York  City 

For  Mr.  Mitchell's  address  see  page  89. 

ELLERY  SEDGWICK 

Editor  of  The  Atlantic  Monthly 
Boston 

Latin  literature  furnishes  the  supreme  model  for  a 
straightforward,  concise  and  logical  style.  It  teaches 
any  appreciative  student  close  thinking  and  direct  ex- 
pression. Greek  civilization  is  the  source  of  love  for 
beauty  and  refinement.  I  believe  that  only  when  equip- 
ped with  some  knowledge  and  recollection  of  the  classics 
can  a  good  editor  do  his  best  work. 

/ 
ROBERT  LINCOLN  O'BRIEN 

Editor  of  the  Boston  Herald 
Boston 

While  Latin  is  not  an  essential,  even  for  leaders  of 
the  race,  and  while  for  one  schoolboy  in  five  it  may  be 
only  a  vexing  luxury,  nevertheless  in  my  opinion  it  is 
our  most  effective  instrument  of  training  for  all  who  are 
to  make  a  professional  use  of  their  mother  tongue. 
Latin  has  just  enough  inflections,  just  enough  syntax 
to  reveal  grammar  at  its  best.  The  language  of  Cicero 
and  Virgil  has  artistic  qualities  in  a  formal  perfection 


288  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

rarely  if  ever  found  in  English.  Through  variance  with 
our  own  language  in  word  order,  in  means  of  concise- 
ness and  energy,  in  metaphors,  colors  and  the  subtler 
artistries  of  wording,  Latin  lets  us  into  the  finest  secrets 
of  good  craftsmanship.  The  history  of  English  verse 
and  prose,  in  their  noblest  periods,  yields  the  best  argu- 
ment for  modern  mastery  of  the  classics  and  particu- 
larly for  a  working  love  of  Latin. 

TALCOTT  WILLIAMS 

Director  of  The  School  of  Journalism,  Columbia  University 

The  "English"  which  those  who  have  had  four  years 
of  training  in  the  high  school  write  is  lamentable.  Men 
who  have  had  one,  two,  three  and  sometimes  four  years 
in  our  colleges  are  without  knowledge  of  the  first  prin- 
ciples by  which  the  writer  must  be  guided.  They  un- 
derstand less  how  a  fact  must  be  recorded,  an  opinion 
expressed,  an  argument  made  convincing  or  an  event 
touched  with  imagination  than  those  who  have  been 
through  the  drill  of  the  city  room  and  the  news  desk. 
These  are  the  practical  results  which  accompany  the 
great  change  in  our  education  in  the  last  forty  years, 
which  has  supplanted  the  old  learning  by  the  new. 

Fortunately,  while  the  study  of  Latin  has  greatly  de- 
creased in  our  colleges  as  compared  with  twenty  to 
forty  years  ago,  and  Greek,  save  here  and  there,  is  taken 
by  so  few  that  in  one  college  of  the  first  rank  it 
was  not  possible  to  award  the  Greek  prizes,  the  study  of 
Latin  in  our  secondary  schools  has  greatly  increased. 
In  1890  a  little  more  than  one-third  (34.69  per  cent) 
studied  Latin.  In  our  public  high  schools  for  the  past 
ten  years  this  number  has  reached  50  per  cent.  This 


STATEMENTS  289 

army  of  high  school  students  constitutes  the  largest  ar- 
ray of  youth  studying  an  ancient  tongue  ever  gathered 
under  the  national  system  of  schools  in  any  land.  Such 
improvement  as  has  come  in  the  English  written  in  our 
high  schools  is,  I  believe,  due  to  this  cause.  It  is,  at  all 
events,  the  experience  of  the  School  of  Journalism  that 
those  who  have  a  classical  education  write  better  than 
those  who  are  without  it. 

PAUL  ELMER  MORE 

Former  Editor  of  The 'Nation 

Here,  whatever  else  may  be  lacking,  is  discipline. 
The  sheer  difficulty  of  Latin  and  Greek,  the  highly  or- 
ganized structure  of  these  languages,  the  need  of  scrup- 
ulous search  to  find  the  nearest  equivalents  for  words 
that  differ  widely  in  their  scope  of  meaning  from  their 
derivatives  in  any  modern  vocabulary,  the  effort  of  lift- 
ing one's  self  out  of  the  familiar  rut  of  ideas  into  so 
foreign  a  world,  all  these  things  act  as  a  tonic  exercise 
to  the  brain.  And  it  is  a  demonstrable  fact  that  stu- 
dents of  the  classics  do  actually  surpass  their  unclassi- 
cal  rivals  in  any  field  where  a  fair  test  can  be  made. 

We  shall,  then,  make  a  long  step  forward  when  we 
determine  that  in  the  college,  as  distinguished  from  the 
university,  it  is  better  to  have  the  great  mass  of  men, 
whatever  may  be  the  waste  in  a  few  unmalleable  minds, 
go  through  the  discipline  of  a  single  group  of  studies — 
with,  of  course,  a  considerable  freedom  of  choice  in  the 
outlying  field.  And  it  will  probably  appear  in  experi- 
ence that  the  only  practicable  group  to  select  is  the 
classics,  with  the  accompaniment  of  philosophy  and  the 
mathematical  sciences.  Latin  and  Greek  are,  at  least, 


290  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

as  disciplinary  as  any  other  subjects;  and  if  it  can  be 
further  shown  that  they  possess  a  specific  power  of  cor- 
rection for  the  more  disintegrating  tendencies  of  the 
age,  it  ought  to  be  clear  that  their  value  as  instruments 
of  education  outweighs  the  service  of  certain  studies 
which  may  seem  more  immediately  serviceable. 

What  we  need  chiefly  is  a  deeper  knowledge  and 
finer  understanding  of  those  few  authors  who  are  really 
the  classics.  We  need  to  reassure  ourselves  that  as  pure 
human  literature  they  still  stand  supreme  and  unap- 
proached.  I  for  one  am  ready  to  avow  my  opinion,  and 
I  believe  that  no  great  advance  in  the  classics  is  possible 
until  this  belief  is  proclaimed  boldly  and  generally,  that 
the  "Iliad"  and  "Odyssey"  have  a  beauty  and  humanity 
that  no  modern  epic  poet  has  ever  touched — not  Milton 
himself,  though  I  adore  Milton  this  side  of  idolatry. 
There  is  no  lyric  poetry  in  modern  tongues  that  has  the 
music  and  exquisite  feeling  of  Sappho's  Lesbian  songs, 
or  the  soaring  strength  of  Pindar's  impassioned  vision. 
No  one  else  has  ever  quite  caught  again  the  mellow 
suavity  of  Horace.  No  later  philosopher  has  translated 
the  eternal  verities  into  such  perfect  speech  as  Plato.  I 
have  seen  Edwin  Booth  in  "Lear"  and  "Macbeth"  and 
"Hamlet,"  and  felt  the  grip  of  Shakespeare  at  my  very 
heart.  But  I  have  seen  a  band  of  young  amateurs  pre- 
sent the  "Agamemnon"  in  the  stadium  at  Harvard,  and 
through  the  crudeness  of  their  acting  and  the  helpless- 
ness of  the  chorus  and  the  disadvantage  of  a  language  I 
could  scarcely  follow,  I  still  knew  that  here  was  a  higher 
form  of  drama  than  anything  on  the  modern  stage,  and 
that  the  art  of  Aeschylus  was  prof ounder  and  more  ever- 
lasting in  its  emotional  appeal  than  Shakespeare's  even. 


STATEMENTS  291 

J.  BARNARD  WALKER 

Editor  of  The  Scientific  American 
New  York  City 

Though  I  have  not  been  conscious  of  making  definite 
effort  to  "use"  the  classics,  I  am  certain  that  my  early 
studies  of  Latin  and  Greek  have  proved  to  be  of  prac- 
tical value.  The  terms  used  in  the  scientific  world  are 
largely  and  in  some  sciences  almost  exclusively  derived 
from  the  classics.  New  inventions  and  discoveries  call 
for  new  descriptive  words,  and  these  are  very  largely  of 
classical  origin.  Hence  the  knowledge  of  the  so-called 
"dead"  languages  (which  are  not  so  dead  as  might  be 
supposed)  is  helpful  in  assisting  one  to  a  more  ready 
understanding,  when  he  is  reading  in  a  new  or  more  or 
less  unfamiliar  field.  Furthermore,  a  knowledge  of  the 
classics  gives  to  the  writer  a  more  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  meanings  of  words,  and  a  more  just  discrimina- 
tion in  their  use.  His  vocabulary  will  be  larger,  and  his 
writings  will  possess,  probably,  more  of  the  elements 
necessary  to  constitute  what  is  known  as  style. 

ROBERT  BRIDGES 

Editor  of  Scribner's  Magazine 
New  York  City 

I  note  what  you  say  about  an  expression  of  opinion 
on  the  classics,  but  really  I  do  not  think  that  I  carry  any 
guns  in  the  matter.  I  heartily  approve  of  all  that  your 
association  is  doing,  and  believe  in  the  permanent  effect 
of  classical  education  on  all  who  have  absorbed  it  from 
the  proper  instructors.  As  I  said  the  other  night  in  our 
conversation,  Dr.  Packard  really  vivified  Pliny's  "Let- 
ters" for  me,  and  made  them  a  reflection  of  the  life  of  a 
Roman  gentleman  of  his  time. 


292  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

LYMAN  ABBOTT 

Editor  of  The  Outlook 
New  York  City 

My  first  remembrance  of  grammar  is  my  study  of  the 
Latin  grammar,  which  gave  me,  so  far  as  I  now  can 
see,  whatever  knowledge  I  possess  of  the  structure  of 
language. 

LAWKENCE  F.  ABBOTT 

President  of  The  Outlook  Company 
New  York  City 

I  am  both  a  vocationalist  and  a  culturist  and  there- 
fore deplore  the  factitious  division  so  often  made  be- 
tween vocational  and  cultural  education.  True  voca- 
tional education  ought  to  cultivate  a  man's  spirit  and 
true  cultural  education  ought  to  enable  him  to  do  his 
share  of  the  world's  work  more  efficiently.  In  the  his- 
tory of  education  in  this  country  the  pendulum  first 
swings  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other.  Thirty  or 
forty  years  ago  too  much  emphasis  was  laid  upon  the 
so-called  humanities.  There  was  a  natural  reaction  with 
which  I  personally  sympathized;  but  now,  in  my  judg- 
ment, too  much  emphasis  is  being  laid  upon  those  forms 
of  education  which  will  enable  a  man  to  make  his  daily 
bread  or  his  daily  profit.  In  the  unfortunate  conflict 
between  the  camp  which  is  tagged  "vocational"  and  the 
camp  which  is  tagged  "cultural"  it  has  often  seemed  to 
me  that  important  life  truth  is  forgotten,  the  truth  that 
nothing  can  be  done  efficiently  or  well  without  the  in- 
fluence of  a  highly  developed  imagination. 

It  is  a  fact,  not  a  theory,  that  the  Greek  and  Latin 
classics  have  supplied  to  the  civilized  world  the  greatest 
incentive  to  be  found  in  literature  toward  a  use  of  the 


STATEMENTS  293 

imagination  in  every  day  life.  The  greatest  English 
statesman  and  the  finest  English  poets  have  received 
some,  at  least,  if  not  a  large  part  of  their  inspiration 
from  Greek  and  Latin  literature.  This  is  a  demonstra- 
ble fact.  If  it  were  equally  demonstrable  that  Assyrian 
or  Sanskrit  or  Hebrew  or  Arabic  or  Chinese  had  con- 
tributed as  much  as  Latin  and  Greek  to  the  inspiration 
of  the  imagination,  then  I  should  hope  a  body  similar 
to  yours  would  defend  these  languages.  No  reasonable 
man  I  suppose  stands  for  universal  compulsory  study 
of  Greek  and  Latin,  but  the  truth  is  that  the  anti-classic- 
ists in  their  opposition  to  compulsion  are  making  it  dif- 
ficult even  for  the  small  percentage  who  desire  and 
ought  to  be  encouraged  to  volunteer  for  the  study  of 
Greek  and  Latin.  By  all  means  let  us  have  our  schools 
of  applied  science,  of  technical  professions  and  of  com- 
mercial training,  but  let  us  also  have  some  schools  where 
those  men  who  are  to  be  the  leaders  in  the  art  of  liter- 
ary expression  may  go  to  the  two  great  sources  of  that 
art,  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics.  Most  of  us  have  to 
get  modern  French,  German  and  Russian  literature 
through  translations,  but  any  man  who  understands 
even  one  modern  language  so  that  he  can  read  it  with 
pleasure  and  comfort  knows  that  the  effect  upon  the 
mind  and  spirit  of  an  essay,  a  play  or  poem  is  extra- 
ordinarily different  in  the  original  from  even  the  best 
English  translation.  I  get  occasional  refreshment  and 
joy  out  of  Calverly's  translation  of  Theocritus.  How 
much  more  must  the  man  who  can  read  the  Greek  origi- 
nal. Few  colleges  or  universities  can  have  great  labor- 
atories and  machine  shops,  but  the  smallest  college  can 
have  a  good  library.  But  the  man  who  does  not  have 


294  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

at  least  a  respectful  bowing  acquaintance  with  Latin 
and  Greek  literature  cannot  be  entirely  happy  and  at 
home  in  a  fine  library.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  there  will 
always  be  American  boys  and  men  who  will  desire  and 
possess  opportunities  to  study  Latin  and  Greek  in  order 
that  they  may  pass  along  to  their  fellows  some  of  the 
beauty  of  the  old  poets,  essayists  and  historians. 

GEORGE  W.  OCHS 

The  Public  Ledger 
Philadelphia 

I  am  a  very  strong  believer  in  the  beneficial  results 
to  be  obtained  from  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and 
I  find  in  the  pursuit  of  my  profession  that  it  has  been 
of  great  practical  use  to  me.  Its  practical  service  is 
that  it  gives  one  a  clearer  insight  into  our  own  language. 
One  would  never  thoroughly  understand  the  shades  of 
meaning  or  the  rich  treasures  of  the  English  language 
without  some  familiarity  with  the  derivation  of  words, 
and  this  knowledge  is  obtained  only  from  a  study  of 
Latin  and  Greek.  Moreover,  it  enlarges  the  vocabu- 
lary, and  imparts  a  clearer  understanding  of  gram- 
matical construction. 

11.     MODERN  LITERATURE 
L.  B.  R.  BRIGGS 

President  of  Radcliffe  College 
Professor  of  English,  Harvard  University 

Professor  Kittredge  once  asked  a  man  who  remem- 
bered no  Latin  and  thought  his  Latin  had  done  him  no 
good  how  much  of  the  roast  beef  that  he  is  eating  today 
he  expects  to  find  in  his  stomach,  as  roast  beef,  five 
years  from  now.  When  Mr.  Charles  Francis  Adams 


STATEMENTS  295 

had  delivered  his  once  famous  Phi  Beta  Kappa  address, 
called  "A  College  Fetich,"  some  one  (Professor  A.  S. 
Hill,  I  think)  remarked  that  for  him  to  say  he  had  got 
nothing  from  his  Greek  was  like  an  atheist's  saying  that 
he  had  got  nothing  from  Christianity.  Most  of  us  use 
in  our  daily  life  no  mathematics  except  addition,  sub- 
traction, multiplication  and  division;  but  most  of  us 
are  not  so  rash  as  to  say  that  we  got  nothing  from 
algebra  and  geometry.  I  for  one  have  always  been  glad 
that  I  was  obliged  to  study  Latin,  Greek  and  mathe- 
matics, and  glad  that  when  compulsion  ceased  I  elected 
Latin  and  Greek.  I  have  often  wondered  whether  we 
do  better  for  our  students  in  abandoning  the  old  pre- 
scribed Freshman  year,  in  which  the  Freshman  class  as 
a  whole  was  put  through  a  certain  amount  of  cultivat- 
ing and  disciplinary  study  on  the  basis  of  which  the  in- 
dividuals were  allowed  later  to  use  great  freedom  in 
election.  I  do  not  know  that  I  should  go  back  willing- 
ly to  the  old  scheme;  but  I  have  grave  doubts  whether 
we  have  not,  as  it  were,  knocked  out  the  underpinning 
of  many  an  education. 

We  see  nowadays  even  specialists  in  literature  who 
have  had  scarcely  any  training  in  the  classics.  Every 
year  I  work  in  English  composition  with  a  class  of 
picked  men.  Those  who  are  well  trained  in  the  classics 
are  comparatively  few,  but  they  always  have  something 
to  build  on  which  the  other  men  lack. 

WILLIAM  LYON  PHELPS 

Professor  of  English,  Yale  University 

I  think  the  study  of  Greek  and  Latin  literature  gives 
a  historical  foundation  and  background,  together  with 


296  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

a  cultural  element  that  cannot  be  obtained  in  any  other 
way. 

HENRY  VAN  DYKE 

Recently  Minister  from  the  United  States  to  the  Netherlands 
Professor  of  English  Literature  in  Princeton  University 

I  think  that  the  great  value  of  classical  studies  in 
liberal  education  is  twofold.  First,  they  promote  a 
more  clear  and  thorough  apprehension  of  the  structure 
and  significance  of  the  various  languages  of  mankind. 
All  human  languages  are  by  no  means  of  equal  rank. 
Greek  and  Latin  are  certainly  among  the  more  perfect, 
if  not  altogether  the  most  perfect  of  those  vehicles  of 
thought  and  feeling  which  have  developed  out  of  human 
intercourse  and  civilization.  They  are  in  a  way  norms 
and  standards  by  which  to  measure  the  merits  and  de- 
merits of  other  languages.  This  service  is  entirely  apart 
from  the  value  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  helping  us  to  a 
quicker  understanding  of  modern  words  which  are  de- 
rived from  Roman  or  Greek  roots. 

Second,  a  still  higher  value  of  classical  studies  lies  in 
the  opportunity  which  Greek  and  Latin  literature  gives 
us  to  obtain  a  broader  and  better  view  of  the  permanent 
elements  of  human  life  and  progress.  It  may  be  said 
that  we  could  get  this  view  equally  well  from  transla- 
tions. But  that  is  not  quite  true.  There  is  something 
in  an  Ode  of  Horace  read  in  the  original,  which  is  never 
found  in  the  translation,  however  good  it  may  be.  The 
sweep  of  the  Virgilian  line  and  of  the  Virgilian  thought 
may  be  imitated  in  English,  but  it  cannot  really  be  re- 
produced. To  read  even  a  little  of  the  classics  in  the 
original  tongues  makes  an  effect  upon  the  mind,  which, 
although  it  may  be  forgotten,  is  in  my  opinion  hardly 
ever  lost. 


STATEMENTS  297 

ALFRED  NOYES 

Professor  of  English  Literature,  Princeton  University 

The  value  of  classical  studies  is  very  clear  to  the  stu- 
dent of  English  literature.  Quite  apart  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  impossible  to  appreciate  many  of  the  master- 
pieces in  our  glorious  literature  without  some  acquain- 
tance with  the  original  flavor  of  the  Greek  and  Roman 
poets,  it  is  also  true  that  the  increasing  carelessness  of 
modern  writing,  the  more  slipshod  use  of  words  and  the 
dearth  of  great  masters  of  style  during  the  last  twenty 
years  are  probably  due  to  the  neglect  of  classical  studies. 
It  used  to  be  said  that  the  best  training  for  a  writer  of 
English  was  a  course  of  Latin  prose.  Certainly  those 
who  have  had  it  usually  display  a  sense  of  style,  a  sense 
of  the  logic  of  language,  of  the  structure  of  sentences 
and  of  the  inner  significance,  the  delicate  shades  of 
meaning  in  words  that  to  others  appear  synonymous. 
I  am  not  speaking  here,  of  course,  of  the  exceptional 
genius.  But  though  Shakespeare  himself  may  have  had 
"small  Latin  and  less  Greek,"  it  is  quite  certain  that  he 
had  more  than  most  students  of  today.  Even  if  he  di- 
gested it  so  completely  that  he  forgot  it  in  later  years, 
it  is  also  quite  certain  that  it  enriched  his  mental  life 
and  nourished  the  sinews  of  the  most  athletic  style  in 
all  literature. 

All  the  great  masters  of  our  own  language  have  used 
it  with  an  eye  to  its  inner  meanings.  When  Stevenson 
wrote  of  the  "tremendous  neighbourhood"  of  a  volcanic 
mountain,  he  was  going  down  to  the  roots  of  things, 
and  if  his  faith  were  not  enough  to  move  mountains  he 
was  at  least  able  to  shake  them  visibly  before  the  reader. 
Milton  both  shook  them  and  moved  them  in  the  same 
power,  where  others  might  only  have  hurled  large  ad- 


298  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

jectives  at  the  indifferent  skies.  Nobody  can  ever  un- 
derstand Matthew  Arnold's  poem  on  his  dog's  grave 
without  the  recollection  of  the  most  exquisite  line  in  all 
Roman  poetry,  and  no  translation  can  give  the  music 
that  has  haunted  the  world  of  literature  for  nearly  two 
thousand  years: 

Sunt  lacrimae  rerum  et  mentem  mortalia  tangunt. 

For  the  truth  is  that  though  Latin  and  Greek  in  a  super- 
ficial sense  may  be  "dead  languages"  they  are  living 
literature.  A  great  work  of  art,  statue  or  picture  or 
poem,  can  never  be  "dead."  There  is  a  confusion  of 
thought  in  most  of  those  who  apply  the  word  so  glibly 
to  the  world's  most  vital  heritage.  It  is  not  without 
significance  that  the  most  beautiful  greeting  ever  ad- 
dressed by  one  poet  to  another  was  given  by  the  great- 
est poet  of  the  nineteenth  century  to  a  poet  who  died 
nearly  two  thousand  years  earlier.  For  both  men  were, 
and  are,  alive  and  immortal: 

Now  thy  forum  soars  no  longer, 
Fallen  every  purple  Caesar's  dome, 

Yet  thine  ocean  roll  of  rhythm 

Sounds  forever  of  Imperial  Rome. 

Now  the  Rome  of  slaves  hath  perished, 

And  the  Rome  of  free  men  holds  her  place, 

I,  from  out  the  northern  Island, 

Sundered  once  from  all  the  human  race, 

I  salute  thee,  Mantovano, 

I  that  loved  thee  since  my  day  began, 
Wielder  of  the  stateliest  measure 
1  Ever  moulded  by  the  lips  of  man. 


STATEMENTS  299 

FELIX  E.  SCHELLING 

President  Modern  Language  Association  of  America,  1914 
Professor  of  English,  University  of  Pennsylvania 

I  believe  that  the  value  of  any  study  depends  less  on 
its  content  than  on  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  pursued.  I 
believe  that  subjects  pursued  for  what  is  called  "their 
practical  utility"  or  subjects  readily  convertible  into 
utilitarian  terms  are,  to  the  extent  of  that  immediate 
utility,  less  valuable  as  contrasted  with  subjects  in  which 
there  is  play  for  that  firm  spirit  that  comes  of  disinter- 
ested endeavor.  Wealth  of  human  interest  and  remote- 
ness from  present  application  seem  to  me  the  two  im- 
portant factors  in  any  subject  chosen  best  to  foster  this 
disinterested  endeavor  of  which  I  speak.  And  the 
classics  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome  appear  to  me  best 
of  all  studies  to  fulfil  these  conditions. 

We  need  much  besides  in  modern  education ;  but  mod- 
ern education  is  still  incomplete  without  the  classics  for 
which  our  ingenuity  has  found  and  probably  will  find 
no  genuine  substitute. 

VIRGINIA  C.  GILDEESLEEVE 

Professor  of  English,  Dean  of  Barnard  College 
Columbia  University 

Of  all  the  various  reasons  for  the  study  of  the 
classics,  two  have  long  appealed  to  me  as  the  most  im- 
portant. Though  both  apply  to  either  language,  the 
first  is  especially  applicable  to  Latin,  the  second  to 
Greek.  Both  seem  to  me  very  practical. 

A  fairly  thorough  study  of  Latin  gives,  I  believe,  an 
admirable  linguistic  foundation.  Linguistic  training  is 
surely  an  important  part  of  education  for  a  boy  or  a 
girl.  I  mean  by  this  the  careful  analysis  of  language, 


300  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

with  grammar,  syntax  and  accurate  distinctions  in 
shades  of  meaning.  When  this  is  done  thoroughly  for 
one  language  others  can  be  built  upon  it  more  rapidly 
and  easily.  As  it  happens  our  own  tongue,  English, 
being  an  illogical  and  loosely  constructed  language,  is 
ill  adapted  for  the  fundamental  training.  Latin,  on 
the  other  hand,  logical  and  well  knit,  serves  this  purpose 
well.  It  is,  besides,  useful  as  a  stepping  stone  to  the 
modern  languages  which  are  its  daughters. 

The  study  of  Greek  is  extremely  valuable  in  another 
way.  It  most  resembles  in  its  effect  travel  in  foreign 
lands  and  types  of  civilization,  higher,  in  some  ways, 
than  our  own.  Like  travel,  Greek  opens  and  broadens 
one's  mind.  I  am  profoundly  thankful  that  the  college 
entrance  requirements  of  my  undergraduate  days  forced 
this  blessing  upon  me. 

LANE  COOPER 

Professor  of  English  Language   and   Literature,   Cornell   University 

Those  relatively  few  young  persons  of  our  day  who 
possess  an  adequate  grounding  in  Greek  and  Latin  have 
this  in  common  with  the  English  poets :  they  know  some- 
thing about  grammar — not  English  grammar  specifi- 
cally, nor  Greek,  nor  Latin,  but  grammar  in  general. 
They  recognize  subject,  copula  and  predicate  whenever 
they  meet  them;  they  have  an  understanding  for  order 
and  relation  in  the  parts  of  a  sentence.  They  are  ac- 
customed to  see  the  elements  of  language  as  elements, 
and  are  not  incapable  of  arranging  them.  They  know 
the  difference  between  a  temporal  and  a  causal  con- 
nective; they  can  distinguish  between  post  hoc  and 
propter  hoc — a  highly  important  distinction  in  life. 
The  reason  they  can  do  so  is  that  whereas  it  is  possible 


STATEMENTS  301 

to  express  oneself  either  loosely  or  straitly  in  English, 
according  to  one's  previous  education,  both  Greek  and 
Latin  compel  the  schoolboy  to  make  a  sharp  distinction 
between  one  thought  and  another.  This  is  precisely 
what  those  who  have  missed  a  severe  linguistic  training 
are  never  prone  to  do.  There  may  be  exceptions ;  if  so, 
these  are  negligible.  In  the  long  run,  they  who  have 
done  well  with  Greek  or  Latin  in  the  preparatory  school 
can  write  passable  English  as  freshmen,  and  they  who 
have  studied  neither  are  ungrammatical  and  otherwise 
slovenly  in  usage. 

LUCY  MARTIN  DONNELLY 

Professor  of  English,  Bryn  Mawr  College 

A  knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek  is  essential,  in  my 
opinion,  to  a  true  appreciation  of  English  literature. 
From  Chaucer  and  Shakespeare  to  Stephen  Phillips 
and  Robert  Bridges  the  sources  of  English  literature 
have  been  largely  in  ancient  history  and  story.  To  read 
many  of  the  finest  English  poems,  Milton's  "Lycidas" 
for  instance,  without  a  knowledge  of  the  classics  is  to 
miss  the  importance  of  their  associations  and  allusions 
and  the  beauty  of  their  language. 

JOSEPH  V.  DENNEY 

Dean  of  College  of  Arts,  Philosophy  and  Science 
Professor  of  English,  Ohio  State  University 

Thousands  of  people  have  testified  to  the  fact  that 
not  until  they  had  studied  a  second  language  did  Eng- 
lish grammar  become  clear  to  them.  And  the  second 
language  should  by  all  means  be  Latin,  partly  because 
of  the  completeness  of  its  grammatical  apparatus,  but 
chiefly  because  the  native  English  sentence  was  first 


302  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

made  orderly,  logical,  serviceable  and  efficient  under  the 
influence  of  the  grammar  of  Latin.  The  management 
of  clauses,  for  instance,  of  tense  sequence,  of  indirect 
discourse,  of  linking  apparatus,  of  position  and  prepo- 
sition— so  troublesome  in  writing  English — is  learned 
from  Latin  as  a  matter  of  necessity.  It  is  seldom  learned 
thoroughly  through  English  alone,  as  any  journalist 
can  testify  or  illustrate. 

The  student  of  English,  if  devoid  of  Latin  and  Greek, 
must  pick  and  choose  his  reading  with  great  care  if  he 
would  maintain  his  interest  for  long.  He  will  find 
whole  periods  of  English  prose  impossible  and  much  of 
English  verse  beyond  his  imaginative  reach.  He  must 
confine  himself  to  the  contemporaneous,  and  often  suffer 
the  feeling  of  detachment  even  there.  He  is  debarred 
from  real  intellectual  sympathy  with  no  inconsiderable 
portion  of  nineteenth  century  prose  and  verse — to  men- 
tion only  the  more  familiar  names,  with  portions  of 
Longfellow,  Lowell,  and  Emerson,  the  Arnolds,  the 
Brownings,  the  Morrises,  Landor,  Keats,  Shelley,  By- 
ron, Tennyson,  Wordsworth,  Macaulay,  Newman, 
George  Eliot,  Ruskin,  Rossetti,  Pater,  and  even  Tom 
Moore. 

The  future  of  real  English  study  is  bound  up  with 
that  of  the  other  languages  and  especially  Latin  and 
Greek. 

STUART  P.  SHERMAN 

Professor  of  English,  University  of  Illinois 

These  are  the  results  of  a  little  experiment  which  I 
have  recently  made  upon  some  four  hundred  university 
freshmen  and  sophomores  chosen  at  random  from  the 
colleges  of  liberal  arts,  law,  engineering  and  agriculture. 


STATEMENTS  803 

The  results  of  this  experiment  may  be  summarized 
briefly  in  the  form  of  "laws"  as  follows: 

A  student's  power  over  the  English  dictionary  varies 
directly  with  the  number  of  years  in  which  he  has  stud- 
ied Latin. 

A  student's  acquaintance  with  the  commonplaces  of 
classical  allusion  varies  directly  with  the  number  of  years 
in  which  he  has  studied  Latin. 

A  student's  ability  to  read  a  page  of  Shakespeare 
varies  directly  with  the  number  of  years  in  which  he 
has  studied  Latin. 

J.  C.  FBEEMAN 

Late   Professor   of   English   Literature,   University   of   Wisconsin 

On  entering  a  preparatory  school  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen, I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  have  my  attention  di- 
rected to  the  study  of  Greek,  and  for  several  years  in 
school  and  college  I  devoted  to  it  a  portion  of  each  day. 

Not  a  day  has  passed  since  then  without  my  finding 
it  of  great  use  to  me.  I  never  read  an  essay,  an  article 
in  a  newspaper,  even  an  advertisement,  without  my 
Greek  enabling  me  to  understand  it  better.  I  have  a 
private  wire  on  Plato  and  Aristotle  and  I  hear  their 
comments  on  the  most  recent  Philippine  complication 
and  the  latest  automobile.  I  am  always  delighted  to 
find  in  my  classes  some  who  have  studied  Greek.  I  ex- 
pect and  I  find  in  them  a  finer  appreciation  of  literature. 
At  our  university  jubilee,  at  which  we  had  representa- 
tives from  all  parts  of  the  world,  I  was  interested  to 
notice  that  the  speakers  who  spoke  most  to  the  point 
and  in  the  best  taste,  and  who  charmed  and  delighted 
their  audiences  were  invariably  men  of  classical  training. 

I  should  think  it  fortunate  if  young  persons  of  either 


304  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

sex  who  propose  to  acquire  a  thorough  education  should 
lay  the  foundations  of  it  in  a  study  of  the  Greek  lan- 
guage and  literature. 

HABDIN  CRAIG 

Professor  of  English,  University  of  Minnesota 

My  experience  since  I  left  Princeton,  in  an  institu- 
tion in  which  classical  studies  have  been  more  and  more 
subordinated  to  science  and  to  studies  having  to  do  with 
vocation,  has  led  me  to  think  it  essential  that  effective 
measures  be  taken  by  American  college  teachers  of  all 
liberal  branches  to  restore  classical  studies  to  a  position 
of  importance  in  the  curricula  of  schools  and  colleges. 

The  plans  outlined  for  modern  practical  courses  of 
study  may  incidentally  and  indirectly  lead  to  the  culti- 
vation of  taste  and  the  possession  of  ideals.  They  sub- 
stitute something  else  in  their  place,  a  thing  which  I 
am  by  no  means  disposed  to  undervalue  or  discredit. 
Perhaps  it  is  in  most  cases  enough,  but  as  a  cultural 
agency  the  modern  course  of  study,  when  it  is  made  up 
without  the  classics,  is  hopelessly  limited;  for  culture 
seems  to  reside  in  the  classics.  I  merely  generalize  upon 
my  observation  of  the  standards  of  estimate  in  life. 

The  chances  are  that  those  persons  who  have  some- 
how learned  what  a  classic  is,  what  the  classics  are  and 
why  they  are  classics,  however  imperfectly,  will  be  con- 
sidered by  their  associates  as  cultivated  persons;  and 
those  who  are  not  so  fortunate  will  not.  If  those  trained 
only  in  the  practical  manner  have  risen  to  the  same  cul- 
tural level  as  those  trained  in  the  classics,  it  will  usually 
be  found  that  they  have  gained  the  classical  point  of 
view  from  early  environment  or  that,  like  ill  prepared 
graduate  students,  they  have  gone  back  and  read  their 


STATEMENTS  305 

classics.  Some  acquaintance  with  the  literature  and 
philosophy  of  the  ancient  world  seems  always  necessary. 
I  would  not  be  narrow  as  to  the  method  of  approach. 
Keats  was  no  less  great  an  exponent  of  classic  culture 
though  he  knew  no  Greek  than  was  Shelley,  who  was  a 
Platonist  and  a  student  of  Sophocles.  But  that  the 
world  judges  ultimately  by  the  spirit  of  the  classics, 
I  should  not  be  disposed  for  an  instant  to  doubt. 

CHARLES  MILLS  GAYLEY 

Professor  of  English  Language  and  Literature,  University  of  California 

For  prospective  teachers  of  English  and  Latin,  Greek 
is  the  elective  subject  first  in  importance.  The  student's 
general  culture  in  other  lines  is  adequately  provided  for 
by  the  required  studies  of  school  and  university,  so  that 
this  advice,  to  future  specialists  in  Latin  or  English, 
may  be  given  with  the  utmost  emphasis,  and  without 
fear  of  too  great  limitation  of  the  student's  range. 

CHAUNCEY  W.  WELLS 

Associate  Professor  of  English  Composition,  University  of  California 

The  longer  I  teach  English  the  more  I  am  convinced 
that  training  in  the  classics,  especially  in  Latin,  is  an 
all  but  indispensable  adjunct  to  training  in  English 
composition  and  English  literature. 

My  opinon  is  that  for  the  successful  study  of  English 
in  college  a  sound  preparation  in  Latin  is  even  more 
necessary  than  a  preparation  in  English  itself.  Other 
things  being  equal,  I  prefer  a  student  who  has  had  four 
years  preparation  in  Latin  and  only  two  in  English  to 
one  who  has  had  but  two  years  preparation  in  Latin  and 
four  years  in  English. 


306  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

Few  people,  few  teachers  even,  seem  to  realize  that 
proficiency  in  constructing  sentences,  in  fitting  together 
in  the  English  order  the  clauses  of  a  sentence  composed 
in  the  Latin  order,  is  an  exercise  in  practical  logic  of 
the  most  rigorous  kind.  It  is  logic  expressed  not  in 
formulae  and  equations  but  in  the  universal  medium  of 
intercourse. 

Students  equipped  in  this  way  I  find  to  be  more 
capable  than  others  of  addressing  their  minds  to  prob- 
lems of  expression  and  of  literary  appreciation.  The 
difference  in  grasp,  in  discrimination  and  in  economy  of 
effort  is  astonishing. 

JAMES  CAPPON 

Dean  of  the  Faculty  of  Arts 
Professor  of  English,  Queen's  University,  Kingston,  Ontario 

The  question,  then,  as  to  the  place  which  classical 
study  should  have  in  our  modern  system  of  education 
must  be  considered  mainly  from  this  point  of  view,  how 
does  it  serve  the  great  ends  which  literary  education  in 
general  serves?  What  is  its  special  place  there?  Is 
some  direct  knowledge  of  it  essential  to  complete  true 
literary  education,  or  is  it  only  a  helpful  addition  as  any 
other  literature  might  be,  in  some  degree  at  least? 

Most  educationalists  in  our  day  are  ready  enough  to 
admit  the  deep  and  delicate  organic  filaments  which 
connect  Graeco-Roman  civilization  with  that  of  our 
own  time.  Great  material  and  political  changes  have 
rather  disguised  than  altered  our  relationship.  The 
structural  forms  of  our  poetry  and  oratory  and  the  logi- 
cal forms  of  our  reasoning  were  grafted  by  the  men  of 
the  Renaissance  on  Graeco-Roman  literature.  Many 
of  the  masterpieces  of  modern  literature,  Dante's  "Di- 


STATEMENTS  307 

vina  Commedia,"  Milton's  "Paradise  Lost,"  Arnold's 
"Thyrsis,"  and  indeed  all  our  great  pastoral  elegies  and 
idylls  bind  us  fast  to  the  classical  world  both  by  what 
they  recall  and  by  what  they  imply,  though  literary  criti- 
cism has  not  yet  done  as  much  as  it  might  have  with  that 
last  point.  Most  of  the  important  documents  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  civilization  cannot  be  read  at  first  hand,  with 
a  full  sense  of  possession  and  enjoyment,  without  a 
knowledge  of  Latin  at  least.  And  if  the  color  of  the 
Graeco-Roman  mind  runs  strongly  in  our  literature,  it 
is  still  more  marked  in  our  language.  The  diction  of  the 
newspapers  we  read  is,  as  far  as  nouns,  verbs  and  adjec- 
tives which  give  color  to  speech  are  concerned,  fifty  per 
cent  of  it,  Graeco-Roman.  Our  philosophic  and  scien- 
tific terminology  is  wholly  so.  Even  outside  of  literature 
our  indebtedness  to  that  classical  world  is  still  very 
great.  Our  modern  jurisprudence  has  been  culled  out 
of  the  maxims  of  Roman  law.  The  civic  buildings  I 
see  every  day  in  this  land  where  the  Huron  once  built 
his  wigwam  are  the  work  of  the  Graeco-Roman  mind, 
adapted  to  modern  use  by  the  Italian  of  the  Renais- 
sance. The  modern  builder  contributed  only  the  stone 
and  lime.  We  could  not  fancy  Chinese  pagodas  or  even 
the  magnificent  structures  of  the  Mohammedan  con- 
querors of  India  rising  in  their  place.  And  yet  the  only 
reason  why  not  is  the  Graeco-Roman  mould  of  our 
taste  and  ideas. 

W.  J.  ALEXANDER 

Professor  of  English,  University  College 
Toronto,  Canada 

The  real  defence  of  the  study  of  Latin  is  bound  up 
with  a  proper  conception  of  what  education  is.    If  the 


308  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

chief  object  in  life,  whether  of  the  individual  or  the  com- 
munity, is  to  attain  material  results,  if  the  main  purpose 
of  education  is  vocational,  then  Latin  must  go.  But  if 
life  consists  in  something  else  than  the  multitude  of 
things  which  the  individual  or  the  community  possesses, 
and  if,  in  consequence,  the  purpose  of  education  is  to 
produce  the  highest  character  and  intellectual  develop- 
ment which  inherited  capacities,  environment  and  cir- 
cumstances permit,  then  a  strong  claim  can  be  made 
for  the  importance  of  classical  studies  as  an  essential 
element  in  the  best  liberal  education.  *  *  * 

If  the  classical  languages  have  a  sufficient  recogni- 
tion in  the  secondary  schools  there  need  be  little  fear 
about  their  position  in  the  universities.  On  the  other 
hand,  unless  the  curriculum  of  the  schools  gives  en- 
couragement to  the  study  of  the  classics,  it  is  inevitable 
that  neither  Latin  nor  Greek  will  occupy  a  much  bet- 
ter position  than  does  Hebrew  at  present.  If  the  natu- 
ral age  for  acquiring  language  be  passed  before  Latin 
and  Greek  are  begun,  a  satisfactory  knowledge  is,  we 
may  say,  impossible.  But  granted  the  needful  prelimi- 
nary training  at  school,  it  does  not  seem  to  me  that  there 
is  any  danger  of  Latin  and  Greek  being  neglected  in 
the  universities.  Minds  of  the  literary  or  philosophic 
type  are  naturally  drawn  toward  the  classics,  where  are 
to  be  found  the  beginning,  for  the  western  world,  of  the 
most  important  phases  of  literature,  criticism,  meta- 
physics, ethics,  political  theory,  law  and  history.  The 
importance  of  a  first  hand  acquaintance  with  Latin,  and 
especially  with  Greek,  has  an  obviousness  that  makes 
argument  superfluous.  I  will  therefore  close  with  a 
statement  of  my  personal  opinion  as  a  teacher  of  Eng- 
lish literature,  that  Greek  and  Latin  are  in  this  depart- 


STATEMENTS  309 

ment  a  matter  of  first  importance.  Where  else  can  be 
found  a  mass  of  material  that  has  exercised  so  profound 
and  continuous  an  influence  both  on  the  form  and  on  the 
thought  of  English  writers? 

C.  H.  GRANDGENT 

President  of  Modern  Language  Association  of  America,  1912 
Professor  of  Romance  Languages,  Harvard  University 

An  eminent  professor  in  a  scientific  school  has  been 
heard  to  declare  that  he  would  rather  have,  as  advanced 
students  of  applied  science,  men  who  had  devoted  them- 
selves to  Latin  than  those  who  had  spent  their  time  on 
scientific  studies;  and  his  voice  is  one  of  many.  Col- 
lege instructors  in  English  composition  are  sometimes 
heard  to  regret  that  their  pupils  ever  tried  to  write  Eng- 
lish at  school.  It  appears  to  be  the  unanimous  opinion 
of  college  professors  of  modern  languages  that  their 
best  pupils  are  those  whose  school  years  were  given 
mostly  to  Greek  and  Latin,  while  their  poorest  are  those 
in  whose  previous  curriculum  French  or  German  or 
"science"  was  the  principal  factor.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  boy  from  a  good  classical  school  finds  that  his  col- 
lege Latin,  Greek  and  mathematics  are  the  natural  con- 
tinuation of  what  he  has  already  acquired;  and  his  in- 
structor, with  no  great  upsetting  or  reviewing,  simply 
takes  him  on  from  the  point  he  has  reached  under  the 
guidance  of  his  former  teacher. 

It  would  seem,  then,  if  our  data  and  inferences  are 
correct,  that  Latin,  Greek  and  mathematics  are  so 
taught  as  to  allow  but  little  waste  in  the  passage  from 
one  teacher  to  another,  while  in  other  subjects  the  ap- 
parent or  real  loss  is  most  discouraging.  Furthermore, 
school  study  of  the  classics  furnishes  not  only  an  ex- 


310  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

cellent  basis  for  further  work  along  the  same  line,  but 
also  the  best  foundation  for  studies  of  a  different  char- 
acter; while  modern  language  courses,  in  common  with 
science  and  some  other  topics,  far  from  fitting  a  pupil 
to  take  up  new  branches  of  study,  do  not  adequately 
prepare  him  to  continue  what  he  has  begun.  It  is  likely 
enough  that  French  and  German,  as  taught  today,  are 
more  effective  than  most  of  the  other  new  studies,  but 
they  are  still  vastly  inferior  to  the  classics.  And  inas- 
much as  the  modern  tongues  to  a  considerable  extent 
have  replaced  Greek  and  Latin  in  the  secondary  school 
curriculum  and  in  the  ordinary  college  training,  we  can- 
not regard  any  instruction  in  them  as  satisfactory  which 
does  not  produce  results  comparable  to  those  derived 
from  the  study  of  the  old  humanities. 

From  time  immemorial  until  our  own  generation  the 
fundamental  discipline  of  educated  men  throughout  the 
civilized  world  has  been  derived  from  Latin  and  Greek, 
with  more  or  less  admixture  of  mathematics.  The  great 
writers,  the  imposing  figures  in  history,  the  mighty 
scholars  of  every  type  have  formed  their  intelligence  on 
the  classics;  all  that  we  revere  in  the  intellectual  past 
derives  from  that  abundant  source.  The  majestic  tra- 
dition of  classic  study  gives  to  the  old  humanities  a 
dignity  that  newer  branches  of  learning  can  never  at- 
tain, unless  it  be  after  many  centuries  of  like  achieve- 
ment. 


One  can  speak  with  real  confidence  only  of  one's  own 
experience.  For  my  part,  I  can  say  that,  without  the 
excellent  classical  training  received  in  my  youth,  my 
work  as  a  scholar  and  writer  would  have  been  quite  im- 
possible, and,  as  far  as  I  can  judge,  the  intellectual 


STATEMENTS  311 

element  in  my  enjoyment  of  life  would  have  been  com- 
paratively slight. 

G.  CHINAKD 

Professor  of  French,  University  of  California 

I  should  welcome  any  attempt  to  put  Latin  back  into 
its  old  place  in  the  curriculum  of  our  secondary  schools. 
Of  all  the  languages  it  is  the  one  which  has  the  great- 
est educational  value,  and  for  obvious  reasons: 

It  is  simple  in  its  construction,  and  yet  has  enough 
declensions  and  flexions  to  give  the  student  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  exact  relations  of  the  words  of  a  sen- 
tence to  one  another — a  knowledge  in  which  most  of  our 
students  are  sadly  lacking.  In  this  way  it  is  a  great 
help  in  the  study  of  English. 

In  Latin  of  the  classical  period,  at  any  rate,  sentences 
are  closely  connected,  and  their  order,  dependence  and 
relation  are  apparent  and  logical.  One  cannot  translate 
Latin  into  another  language  without  learning  at  the 
same  time  how  to  think  logically,  to  make  an  argument 
forcefully,  and  to  present  one's  ideas  in  a  simple  and 
clear  way. 

This  mental  discipline  and  this  habit  of  looking 
squarely  at  facts  and  ideas,  which  made  the  Romans  the 
greatest  jurists  the  world  has  ever  known,  are  qualities 
no  man  can  afford  to  neglect,  and  Latin,  in  my  opin- 
ion, is  the  shortest  and  easiest  way  to  acquire  or  develop 
them. 

R.  SCHEVILL 

Member  Hispanic  Society  of  America 
Professor  of  Spanish,  University  of  California 

Students  who  wish  to  specialize  in  any  of  the  Ro- 
mance languages  and  literatures  can  have  no  adequate 


312  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

knowledge  or  appreciation  of  the  subject  without  good 
Latin  foundation.  We  cannot  study  the  fifth  story  of 
a  house  without  taking  into  consideration  what  supports 
the  whole  edifice.  But  apart  from  this,  a  careful  study 
of  Latin  literature  gives  the  student  a  finer  sense  of 
the  resources  of  his  own  speech. 

KTJNO  FRANCKE 

President  Modern  Language  Association  of  America 

Former  Professor  of  the  History  of  German  Culture  and  Curator  of  the 
Germanic  Museum,  Harvard  University 

I  cannot  conceive  of  what  my  work  as  a  teacher  of 
German  literature  and  a  student  of  German  intellectual 
and  artistic  life  would  have  been  but  for  the  thorough 
training  in  Greek  and  Latin  literature  and  art  which  I 
received  in  German  schools  and  universities.  Indeed, 
if  I  were  to  single  out  the  intellectual  forces  which  more 
than  any  other  have  shaped  my  scholarly  career,  I 
should  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  they  were  all 
drawn  from  Greece  and  Rome. 

Although  the  chief  efforts  of  my  career  have  been 
directed  toward  subjects  lying  outside  of  classical 
studies,  I  owe  to  classical  studies  whatever  success  these 
efforts  may  have  had. 

CALVIN  THOMAS 

Former  President  Modern  Language  Association  of  America 
Professor  of  Germanic  Languages  and  Literatures,  Columbia  University 

If  we  set  out  from  the  idea  that,  quite  apart  from  the 
exigencies  of  particular  employments,  the  best  thing 
that  any  man  or  woman  can  do  in  this  world  is  to  live 
on  a  high  plane  of  aspiration  and  endeavor,  and  if  we 
accept  what  seems  to  me  a  reasonable  corollary  of  that 


STATEMENTS  313 

proposition,  namely,  that  any  one  will  be  helped  in  so 
doing  by  knowing  the  best  that  has  been  thought  and 
said  by  our  greatest  predecessors  in  their  most  inspired 
moments,  then  I  can  think  of  nothing  more  truly  and 
largely  practical  than  a  real  first  hand  knowledge  of  the 
ancient  classics. 


ALEXANDER  R.  HOHLFELD 

President  Modern  Language  Association  of  America,  1913 
Professor  of  German,  University  of  Wisconsin 

Far  more  of  our  larger  and  stronger  high  schools 
than  is  the  case  at  present  should  offer  liberal  oppor- 
tunity for  the  study  of  Greek.  The  study  of  the  Greek 
language  and  literature  affords  not  only  a  training  and 
culture  of  peculiar  value,  but  it  also  leads  to  a  richer  and 
deeper  understanding  of  many  phases  of  modern  art, 
literature  ancl  cultural  thought.  Many  of  the  workers 
in  the  modern  field  have  to  be  satisfied  with  studying 
Greek  civilization  through  the  medium  of  translations, 
but  even  at  best  this  cannot  compare  with  a  study  of 
the  sources  at  first  hand. 


H.  K.  SCHILLING 

Professor  of  German,  University  of  California 

I  have  always  insisted  that  a  high  school  course  which 
aims  at  a  liberal  education,  not  merely  at  vocational 
training,  must  include  at  least  one  of  the  ancient  lan- 
guages. The  term  "general  culture"  still  implies  some 
first  hand  acquaintance  with  antiquity ;  and  the  best  lin- 
guistic training  is  obtained  by  the  study  of  both  an  an- 
cient and  a  modern  language. 


314  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

12.    HISTORY,  POLITICAL  SCIENCE,  ECO- 
NOMICS, PHILOSOPHY,  SOCIOLOGY 

GEORGE  LINCOLN  BURR 

Former  President  American  Historical  Association 
Professor  of  Medieval  History,  Cornell  University 

While  I  am  not  by  any  means  an  extreme  advocate 
of  the  ancient  classics,  I  could  not  be  a  teacher  of  his- 
tory without  recognizing  their  fundamental  importance 
to  every  student  who  would  know  at  first  hand  the  his- 
tory of  European  civilization  or  who  aims  at  teaching 
or  writing  in  the  field  of  that  history.  Not  only  are 
the  documents  of  that  history,  to  this  day,  largely  in 
Greek  or  in  Latin,  but  during  great  periods,  and  in 
some  quarters  even  to  the  present,  these  have  been  liv- 
ing tongues  for  communication  between  men  and  states ; 
and  so  do  they  lie  at  the  base  of  the  thought,  the  liter- 
atures, the  institutions,  even  the  personalities,  that  make 
up  the  history  of  the  modern  world,  that  without  an 
acquaintance  with  one  or  both  of  these  tongues  one  lacks 
an  essential  key  to  the  significance  of  it  all.  Even  if 
one's  study  is  narrowly  to  be  confined  to  those  modern 
lands  and  times  whose  vernaculars  might  rather  seem 
fundamental,  I  believe  that  the  best  door  to  any  schol- 
arly knowledge  or  use  of  these  is  through  the  older 
tongues  which  make  intelligible  not  only  their  origin 
and  growth,  but  furnish  a  clue  as  well  to  all  that  dialec- 
tic divergence  with  which  the  students  of  history  must 
deal  at  every  fresh  step  in  time  or  place. 

With  the  study  of  history  the  study  of  language  must 
always  go  pan  passu;  but  scarcely  less  important  to  the 
student  of  history  is  that  profound  and  constant  influ- 
ence of  the  classical  literature  in  the  Middle  Ages 


STATEMENTS  315 

scarcely  less  than  at  the  Renaissance,  and  with  small 
abatement  throughout  the  modern  centuries — which  can 
only  rightly  be  measured  or  understood  by  him  who  has 
studied  those  literatures  for  himself. 

So  sensible  are  we  at  Cornell  of  the  need  of  such  a 
philological  foundation-laying  for  work  in  history  that 
we  open  to  our  freshmen  few  historical  courses  and  ad- 
vise them  in  their  earlier  college  years  to  choose  lan- 
guages, if  even  at  the  cost  of  history. 

WILLIAM  MILLIGAN  SLOANE 

Former  President  American  Historical  Association 
Professor  of  History,  Columbia  University 

I  never  touched  a  trained  mind  yet  which  had  not 
been  disciplined  by  grammar  and  mathematics — gram- 
mar both  Greek  and  Latin ;  nor  have  I  ever  discovered 
mental  elegance  except  in  those  familiar  with  Greek 
and  Latin  classics. 

JAMES  FORD  RHODES 

Former  President  American  Historical  Association 
Boston 

A  writer  of  books,  whether  of  poetry,  romance  or 
history,  ought  to  know  Latin  well.  The  knowledge  in- 
creases his  acquaintance  with  English  and  facilitates  his 
acquirement  of  French,  Italian  and  Spanish.  Latin 
and  French  are  certainly  indispensable  to  a  liberal  edu- 
cation. If  the  student  has  a  linguistic  turn  of  mind,  he 
will  compass  Greek.  He  need  not  know  Latin  and 
Greek  as  thoroughly  as  a  teacher  knows  them.  Good 
translations  abound,  but  it  is  a  pleasure  to  read  the 
great  masters  of  literature  in  the  original  and  to  be  able 
at  need  to  criticise  or  approve  the  translators  who  have 


316  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

extended  the  world's  acquaintance  with  the  classical 
writers. 

The  case  is  between  Latin  and  Greek  and  the  physi- 
cal and  natural  sciences.  The  man  who  loves  literature 
should  choose  the  ancient  languages.  Let  no  one  select 
the  sciences  on  account  of  ease.  The  generalizations  are 
attractive  but  they  are  in  reach  of  any  reader.  When 
it  comes  to  higher  mathematics  or  physical  or  chemical 
laboratory  work,  earnest  and  constant  exertion  is  the 
key  to  success.  More  boys  are  inclined  to  literature 
than  to  science.  Literature  and  language  are  allied; 
and  the  foundation  is  Latin  and  Greek. 

CHARLES  H.  HASKINS 

Professor  of  History  and  Political  Science 
Dean  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  Harvard  University 

As  a  believer  in  the  liberal  education,  I  am  of  course 
interested  in  the  maintenance  of  the  classical  ideal  of 
culture  and  the  studies  which  serve  to  support  it ;  and  as 
a  professor  of  history,  I  can  testify  to  the  great  advan- 
tage which  students  of  sound  classical  training  bring  to 
their  historical  studies.  As  the  field  of  human  history 
lengthens,  and  the  range  of  intellectual  interests  ex- 
tends, readjustment  is  inevitable  in  relation  to  the  study 
of  Greek  and  Latin  and  their  place  in  courses  of  educa- 
tion, but  in  this  process  we  have  great  need  to  prove  all 
things  and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good. 

EPHRAIM  EMERTON 

Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History,  Harvard  University 

In  reply  to  your  request  that  I  would  write  a  brief 
statement  as  to  the  value  of  classical  studies  I  beg  to 
say  that  I  regard  them  as  an  essential  part  of  what  I 


STATEMENTS  317 

still  venture  to  call  a  liberal  education.  By  that  phrase 
I  mean  an  education  free  from  the  controlling  purpose 
of  making  a  living.  That  I  understand  to  have  been 
always  the  meaning  of  the  artes  liberates  as  distin- 
guished from  professional  studies,  though  this  meaning 
has  been  grossly  perverted  in  much  of  the  modern  dis- 
cussion on  the  subject. 

At  the  same  time  I  am  convinced  that  the  present 
contempt  of  classical  studies  is  very  largely  the  fault  of 
classical  teachers  themselves.  They  have  been  too  prone 
to  forget  that  no  subject  can  have  a  humane  effect  in 
education  unless  it  is  taught  humanely.  The  hope  of  a 
successful  revival  of  interest  in  the  classics  depends,  I 
think,  almost  wholly  upon  a  recognition  of  this  prin- 
ciple, and  I  rejoice  to  see  some  indications  that  it  is 
being  recognized  and  applied  more  widely  and  more 
fruitfully  than  for  some  time  past. 

As  an  academic  person  I  have  been  waiting  now  for 
forty  years,  with  an  open  mind,  for  the  efficient  substi- 
tutes for  the  classics  and  mathematics  in  the  preparation 
of  boys  for  the  work  of  the  college,  but,  if  one  may 
judge  by  results,  these  promised  substitutes  have  not 
yet  appeared. 

GEORGE  BURTON  ADAMS 

President  American  Historical  Association,  1907-1908 
Professor  of  History,  Yale  University 

The  relative  value  in  general  education  of  voca- 
tional studies  and  cultural  studies  cannot  be  argued 
here,  but  certainly  the  lack  of  those  elements  of  culti- 
vation and  fine  appreciation  of  higher  things,  which 
seem  in  the  majority  of  cases  most  easily  acquired  by 
the  study  of  the  classical  literatures,  is  a  serious  defect 
in  the  education  of  any  man. 


318  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

DANA  CARLETON  MUNRO 

Professor  of  Medieval  History,  Princeton  University 

After  watching  the  education  of  each  of  my  children 
I  am  convinced  that  no  other  study  in  the  high  schools 
has  the  same  disciplinary  value  as  Latin. 

HENRY  OSBORN  TAYLOR 

New  York  City 

So  long  as  the  most  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man, 
a  knowledge  of  the  classics  must  continue  to  form  part 
of  a  humane  education.  For  the  last  two  thousand 
years,  on  through  the  decadence  and  "Christianization" 
of  the  Roman  Empire,  through  the  Carolingian  period, 
through  the  Middle  Ages,  through  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries  and  the  eighteenth  likewise — they 
have  been  for  each  generation  according  to  its  need  and 
capacity,  the  eternal  and  elastic  literary  source  of  in- 
struction and  enlightenment  upon  the  nature  and  char- 
acter, the  motives  and  the  conduct  of  men.  They  afford 
a  commentary  upon  the  whole  of  human  nature,  and 
there  is  no  substitute  for  them.  They  are  also  standards 
of  excellence  and  beauty  in  human  conduct  and  its  liter- 
ary expression — and  again  there  is  no  substitute  for 
them.  For  their  best  effect,  they  should,  of  course,  be 
taught  and  studied  in  their  own  Greek  and  Latin.  But 
a  knowledge  of  them  through  translations  may  educate, 
instruct  and  enlarge  men's  minds,  as  Amyot's  transla- 
tion of  Plutarch  did  in  the  sixteenth  and  following 
centuries. 


STATEMENTS  319 

BERNARD  MOSES 

Member  United  States  Philippine  Commission,  1900-1902 
Professor  of  History  and  Political  Science,  University  of  California 

I  have  had  students  of  all  courses  in  my  classes  in 
history  and  political  economy,  and  I  have  generally 
found  that  those  who  came  to  the  university  with  classi- 
cal preparation  have  done  the  most  satisfactory  work. 
I  do  not  hesitate,  moreover,  to  state  the  opinion  that, 
everything  considered,  the  preparation  afforded  by  the 
classical  course  in  the  high  school  is  more  valuable  for 
the  student,  irrespective  of  the  line  of  studies  he  is  to 
pursue  at  the  university,  than  any  other  course  hitherto 
organized. 

WILLIAM  A.  MORRIS 

Assistant  Professor  of  English  History,  University  of  California 

Latin  formed  the  backbone  of  my  course  in  prepara- 
tory school.  At  this  stage  of  my  education  I  found  it 
profitable  in  three  ways :  It  was  a  most  excellent  disci- 
pline; it  gave  much  assistance  in  the  study  and  use  of 
English  through  insight  into  word  formation  and  formal 
grammar;  it  gave  a  new  enjoyment  of  literature.  My 
undergraduate  study  of  the  same  subject  in  college 
served  as  a  necessary  preparation  for  my  subsequent 
work  as  teacher  in  the  high  school,  as  graduate  student 
and  as  college  instructor.  The  person  who  undertakes 
research  work  in  ancient  or  medieval  history  can  do 
practically  nothing  without  it.  The  writers  and  the  col- 
lege teachers  of  ancient  history,  today  one  of  the  most 
promising  of  all  historical  fields,  must  make  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  ancient  languages  the  foundation  of 
their  training.  Medieval  history,  whether  touched  on 


320  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

the  political,  the  religious,  the  cultural  or  the  institu- 
tional side,  in  the  same  way  requires  everywhere  the 
use  of  Latin.  Finally — what  is  of  particular  interest  to 
me  personally — the  advanced  study  of  the  rise  of  the 
English  Constitution  and  of  the  Common  Law  depends 
upon  the  same  linguistic  training. 

HIRAM  BINGHAM 

Professor  of  Latin  American  History,  Yale  University 

For  any  one  who  plans  to  work  in  South  America,  a 
knowledge  of  Spanish  or  Portuguese  is  absolutely  es- 
sential to  success.  There  is  nothing  that  facilitates  in- 
tercourse and  proves  a  better  "open  Sesame"  than  a 
correct  use  of  these  two  Latin  tongues.  Personally  I 
have  found  my  former  study  of  Latin  to  be  of  the  great- 
est value  in  acquiring  a  working  knowledge  of  the  South 
American  lingua  franca.  I  believe  most  heartily  in  the 
importance  of  classical  studies  for  those  who  would 
prove  welcome  visitors  in  Latin  America. 

DAVID  P.  BARROWS 

Director  of  Education  in  Philippine  Islands,  1903-1909 
Professor  of  Political  Science,  University  of  California 

I  regard  a  thorough  training  in  the  classics  as  the 
best  of  all  possible  approaches  to  advanced  studies  in 
political  science.  The  freshman  who  reads  certain  chap- 
ters in  Thucydides,  or  the  Agricola  and  Germania  of 
Tacitus,  is  already  making  an  excellent  start  in  the 
science  of  politics  and  institutions.  I  have  recently 
read  with  my  young  son  certain  books  of  Caesar,  and, 
accompanying  it,  we  have  read  Col.  Dodge's  studies  in 
Caesar's  campaigns,  so  I  am  at  this  moment  in  a  re- 
newed way  impressed  with  the  value  of  Caesar  as  an 


STATEMENTS 

introduction  both  to  military  strategy  and  to  the  science 
of  government  in  conquered  territory. 

The  English  are,  above  all  other  peoples,  a  political 
nation,  and  as  is  well  known  their  governing  class  has 
been  trained  in  its  habits  of  thought,  its  practical  deal- 
ing with  human  nature  and  its  large  grasp  of  affairs  by 
a  system  of  instruction  that  is  to  a  large  degree  a  mas- 
tery of  classical  writers,  and  to  which  in  a  great  measure 
must  be  attributed  their  political  mastery  and  vision. 

NEWTON  THORPE 

Professor  of  Political  Science,  University  of  Pittsburgh 

The  thorough  study  of  the  Latin  language,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  help  it  gives  in  understanding  the  meaning 
of  many  words  in  our  own  tongue,  habituates  the  mind 
to  a  degree  of  accuracy  greatly  desired  in  its  every  exer- 
cise. The  Latin  language  affords  a  ready  opportunity 
to  test  with  approximate  precision  the  interpretative 
powers  of  the  mind,  without  the  exercise  of  which  no 
person  can  hope  to  be  able  to  find  himself  or  his  sub- 
ject. Accuracy,  precision,  the  power  to  distinguish 
similars  from  dissimilars,  and  dissimilars  from  similars, 
may  be  acquired  by  systematic  practice  only,  and  the 
Latin  language  affords  one  of  the  easiest  agencies  to- 
wards these  results. 


HENRY  W.  FARNAM 

President  American  Association  for  Labor  Legislation,  1907-1910 

President  of  the  American  Economic  Association,  1910-1911 

Professor  of  Political  Economy,  Yale  University 

For  Professor  Farnam's  address  see  page  79. 


322  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

FRANK  A.  FETTER 

Commissioner  New  York  State  Board  of  Charities,  1910-1911 
President  of  the  American  Economic  Association,  1912 
Professor  of  Political  Economy,  Princeton  University 

Acquaintance  with  some  foreign  language,  with  all 
that  this  implies  in  historical,  sociological  and  psycho- 
logical outlook  and  insight,  is  an  indispensable  part  of 
a  modern  liberal  education.  And  I  believe  that  Latin 
is  for  us  the  language  best  suited  to  serve  this  purpose. 
If  our  English  speaking  youth  were  able  to  study  in 
school  but  one  foreign  language,  it  would  be  better,  both 
for  cultural  and  for  utilitarian  reasons,  to  choose  Latin 
rather  than  any  other. 

ROBERT  M.  WENLEY 

Professor  of  Philosophy,  University  of  Michigan 

Ability  to  write  decent  Latin  prose  simply  cannot  be 
acquired  without  at  the  same  time  inducing  the  kind  of 
mental  organization  which  at  length  enables  a  man  to 
go  anywhere  and  do  anything,  as  a  great  general 
phrased  it.  ...  And  I  draw  the  proof  from  my  own  ex- 
perience. The  most  effective  masters  of  the  "positive" 
sciences  known  to  me  personally  are  invariably  men  who 
have  first  acquired  the  mental  organization  which  the 
culture  studies  confer;  of  this  fact  they  are  quite  aware 
themselves. 

G.  M.  STRATTON 

President  American  Psychological  Association,  1908 
Professor  of  Psychology,  University  of  California 

[On  Mental  Discipline] 

The  mind  is  something  far  larger  than  the  particular 
items  which  it  observes  and  hears.  It  is  a  wonderful 


STATEMENTS  323 

organism,  with  powers  latent,  powers  developed,  powers 
lost  through  disuse.  Any  schooling  seems  to  me  a  fail- 
ure that  overlooks  this,  and  regards  the  mind  as  a  mere 
assembly  of  interesting  ideas  and  of  useful  items  of  in- 
formation. Education  must  train  a  person  to  will  aright 
and  to  work,  and  to  withstand  inner  and  outer  distrac- 
tions, as  well  as  to  act  not  only  with  a  sympathy  for 
human  beings  near  at  hand  but  also  with  sympathy  and 
with  understanding  of  distant  peoples  and  distant  times. 
The  findings  of  psychology  all  favor  this  richer  concep- 
tion of  the  human  person,  and  it  would  be  a  grave  mis- 
take to  suppose  that  the  experimental  work  has  proved 
that  the  idea  of  mental  discipline  is  no  longer  tenable. 

LAWRENCE  COLE 

Director  of  the  School  of  Social  and  Home  Service 
Professor  of  Psychology,  University  of  Colorado 

It  is  my  duty  to  teach  the  elements  of  psychology  to 
large  classes  of  sophomores  in  college.  Despite  many 
simple  experiments  and  the  newer  methods  of  instruc- 
tion, the  subject  is  still  somewhat  abstract.  I  cannot 
transfix  the  mind  on  a  dissecting  needle  and  pass  it 
around  for  inspection  as  one  might  a  cockroach  or  a 
butterfly.  Consequently,  students  find  that  the  subject 
does  not  disclose  its  secrets  without  considerable  study. 
The  difficulty,  as  far  as  I  can  define  it,  lies  in  this.  Be- 
sides learning  to  see  objects,  the  student  must  learn  to 
make  nice  but  definite  discriminations,  must  form  cer- 
tain general  notions,  and  must,  above  all  things,  learn  to 
detect  relations.  Now  analysis,  generalization,  and  re- 
lational thinking  are  developed  and  trained  above  all 
things  else  by  the  student  of  Latin  and  Greek.  For 
this  reason,  your  classicist  is  always  an  educated  man. 


324  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

He  finds  in  psychology  a  subject  both  of  training  and 
information,  and  he  promptly  goes  to  the  deeper  levels 
of  that  information. 

The  evidence  I  have  reviewed  shows,  I  think,  that 
high  school  students  would  be  immensely  benefited  by 
a  return  to  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek. 

A.  G.  KELLEE 

Co-editor  of  The  Yale  Review 
Professor  of  Sociology,  Yale  University 

It  is  not  enough  to  have  only  one  strongly  discipli- 
nary elementary  study.  Perhaps  three  were  too  many, 
but  two  are  not.  The  student  who  knows  the  Latin 
grammar,  who  has  carefully  read  the  required  texts, 
and  who  can  render  simple  English  into  Latin  has  been 
under  mental  discipline,  for  which  the  present  writer, 
for  one,  sees  no  effective  substitute.  Greek  would  be 
as  good  and  perhaps  better  for  the  purpose ;  but  now  it 
is  Latin  or  one  of  those  substitutes  that  are  easy  and 
interesting.  So  long  as  Latin  holds  this  unique  position 
in  the  sphere  of  elementary  education  it  can  be  sure  of 
retaining  the  support  of  those  who  want  the  young  to 
encounter  a  steady  and  solid  resistance  and  to  overcome 
it,  at  least  in  some  measure,  by  straining  the  powers  and 
so  strengthening  them. 

A  person  who  feels  this  way  about  the  case  of  Latin, 
does  not  particularly  care  whether  or  not  those  for  whom 
he  is  responsible,  to  the  extent  of  his  power  and  influ- 
ence, come  later  to  blame  him  for  permitting  them  to 
waste  their  time  on  Latin  for  no  evident  result.  A  good 
many  of  us  could  not  possibly  solve  a  quadratic  equa- 
tion that  was  anything  more  than  baldly  unadorned; 
but  we  are  glad  we  applied  ourselves  to  algebra.  For 


STATEMENTS  325 

the  values  of  application  come  from  the  study  and  not 
from  the  results  alone;  hence  they  are  culled  uncon- 
sciously all  the  time,  even  though  the  final  result  upon 
which  the  eye  is  continually  fixed  seems  insubstantial. 
The  reason  why  so  many  parents  want  their  children  to 
study  Latin  is,  whether  they  render  count  to  them- 
selves of  their  motives  or  not,  because  it  is  hard. 

To  get,  then,  at  the  cultural  value  of  Latin  literature 
in  the  original,  the  price,  if  that  means  the  actual  learn- 
ing of  the  Latin  language,  is  too  great.  Several,  also, 
of  the  asserted  practical  utilities  of  acquaintance  with 
Latin  will  not  stand  examination  as  being  worth  the 
cost.  But,  apart  from  such  results,  amidst  a  welter  of 
whimsical,  easy,  or  merely  interesting  and  playful  sub- 
jects, Latin  stands  alone  with  mathematics.  The  two 
are  not  interchangeable,  as  were,  virtually,  in  this  re- 
spect, Greek  and  Latin.  There  is  no  substitute  in  sight 
for  either  one.  Hence  both,  and  in  particular  Latin, 
whose  case  we  have  been  considering,  should  be  sustained 
pending  the  rise  of  a  substitute  of  equal  or  superior  dis- 
ciplinary value  along  similar  lines.  In  this  role  of  a 
disciplinary  study  Latin  shows  itself  worth  the  cost. 

13.     FINE  ARTS 

TRUSTEES  or  THE  AMERICAN  ACADEMY  IN  ROME 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

I  beg  herewith  to  transmit  to  you  a  copy  of  a  resolu- 
tion, passed  by  the  Executive  Committee  at  its  meeting 
held  Tuesday,  April  10,  1917,  in  accordance  with  the 
instructions  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  its  meeting  of 
March  13,  1917: 


326  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

Whereas  the  fundamental  idea  in  establishing 
the  American  Academy  in  Rome  was  the  opinion 
of  its  Founders  that  the  atmosphere  of  classical 
antiquity  was  essential  to  the  study  of  the  Fine 
Arts,  and 

Whereas  the  amalgamation  of  the  Academy 
with  the  School  of  Classical  Studies  in  Rome  has 
already  given  convincing  proof  of  the  wisdom  of 
this  opinion,  be  it  here 

Resolved  that  the  American  Academy  in  Rome 
hereby  registers  its  conviction  that  the  study  of  the 
classics  in  all  academic  institutions  in  the  United 
States  is  an  essential  part  of  a  liberal  education 
and  should  be  encouraged. 

Very  truly  yours, 

C.  GRANT  LA  FAROE, 
Secretary. 

EDWARD  ROBINSON 

Director  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art 
New  York  City 

Is  it  not  a  strange  reflection  upon  our  civilization  that 
in  this  twentieth  century,  when  the  world  knows  more 
than  it  ever  knew  before,  and  ought  to  be  so  much  the 
wiser,  we  should  be  called  upon  to  defend  the  study  of 
the  classics — the  very  study  which  five  centuries  ago  let 
daylight  into  the  minds  of  men,  and  prepared  the  way 
for  the  development  of  human  intelligence  which  has 
been  in  progress  ever  since?  Until  the  present  gener- 
ation the  value  of  a  familiarity  with  Greek  and  Roman 
thought,  as  expressed  in  their  literature,  their  history 
and  their  art  remained  practically  unchallenged  as  an 
essential  factor  in  a  college  curriculum.  Are  we  now 


STATEMENTS  327 

to  assume  that  this  long  experience  was  all  a  mistake,  or 
must  we  agree  that  the  influence  of  these  studies,  how- 
ever beneficial  to  our  forefathers,  has  now  played  its 
part  and  must  give  place  to  something  of  a  more  prac- 
tical nature? 

We  must  admit  that  this  is  an  age  of  facts.  The 
names  which  will  be  handed  down  to  posterity  as  repre- 
senting the  greatness  of  our  time  are  those  of  scientists, 
inventors,  discoverers,  men  who  have  added  new  facts  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  world  rather  than  those  who  have 
broadened  its  field  of  imagination  in  literature  and  the 
arts.  Yielding  to  this  spirit,  believing  that  the  practi- 
cal is  now  the  chief,  if  not  the  sole,  aim  of  the  higher  as 
well  as  the  lower  education,  some  even  among  our  more 
eminent  educators  make  that  the  one  test,  and  in  it  the 
classics  are  found  wanting;  therefore  they  must  go. 

It  is  well  that  the  study  of  the  classics  should  be  put 
to  the  test  under  present  conditions,  because  they  give 
to  those  who  believe  in  it  the  opportunity  to  show 
whether  that  belief  is  founded  upon  anything  more  sub- 
stantial than  tradition,  and  whether  the  accumulation  of 
facts  alone  constitutes  an  education  in  the  high  sense  in 
which  we  wish  to  see  it  regarded  in  America. 

For  my  own  part,  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  result,  if  the 
question  can  be  decided  upon  its  own  merits,  as  it  cer- 
tainly will  be  in  the  long  run,  and  I  look  upon  the  pres- 
ent movement  against  classical  studies  as  an  attempt  to 
hold  back  the  tide  which  will  surely  sweep  away  such 
obstacles  and  resume  its  old  course.  I  cannot  think  that 
this  opposition  will  have  any  lasting  effect,  because 
there  are  too  many  men  and  women  who  feel  as  I  do 
that  a  knowledge  of  Greece,  and  what  she  not  only  has 
done  but  still  continues  to  do  for  the  world,  is  an  essen- 


328  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

tial  part  of  every  cultivated  man's  equipment,  and  that 
this  knowledge  should  be  gained  at  first  hand  through 
what  she  has  left  us,  namely,  her  language,  her  litera- 
ture and  her  art.  Next  to  the  history  of  his  own  coun- 
try there  is  none  so  stimulating  to  an  American  youth 
as  that  of  Greece,  with  its  high  ideals,  its  struggles  to 
introduce  popular  government  into  the  world,  and  the 
warnings  of  its  later  stages,  when  the  ideals  had  been 
lost.  Her  poets  and  philosophers  have  shown  us  as 
have  none  -others  since,  the  flights  of  which  the  human 
mind  is  capable ;  and  in  her  arts  she  has  provided  us  with 
standards  and  principles  of  beauty  which  have  been 
neither  equalled  nor  supplanted  by  any  other  nation. 
The  flame  burned  but  a  short  while,  yet  its  light  has  il- 
lumined the  world  wherever  it  reached,  and  it  would  be 
an  undying  reproach  if  we  were  to  allow  it  to  be  ex- 
tinguished or  dimmed  in  our  time. 

ARTHUR  FAIRBANKS 

Director  of  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts 
Boston 

To  my  mind  the  fundamental  reason  for  emphasis  on 
classical  studies  in  education  is  not  their  general  discip- 
linary value,  not  their  practical  value  for  students  of 
modern  languages  including  English,  not  the  literature 
they  open  to  the  student,  not  the  facts  that  these  sub- 
jects are  perhaps  better  taught  than  others  in  our  sec- 
ondary schools,  important  and  far-reaching  as  these 
considerations  are.  The  fundamental  reason,  I  believe, 
is  that  Greek  and  in  a  different  way  Latin  are  such 
perfect  means  for  the  expression  of  man's  thought. 
Inevitably  though  often  unconsciously  the  study  of  lan- 
guage is  the  study  of  the  human  mind  through  its  best 


STATEMENTS  329 

means  of  expression.  We  need  in  education  today, 
along  with  our  study  of  things,  the  study  of  mind  and 
that  through  language.  This  purpose,  so  far  as  I  can 
see,  is  not  fulfilled  by  the  study  of  modern  languages  in 
at  all  the  same  degree  as  by  the  study  of  Latin  and 
Greek,  nor  can  we  expect  that  it  should  be.  Accord- 
ingly I  believe  that  classical  studies  should  have  a  larger 
place  in  our  educational  system  than  they  hold  today. 

R.  CLIPSTON  STURGIS 

Chairman  of  Committee  on  Education,  American  Institute  of  Architects 

Boston 

Mr.  Mauran  has  asked  me  to  write  a  brief  statement 
about  the  value  of  the  classical  studies  in  general,  and 
perhaps  more  particularly  for  those  who  are  to  practice 
the  profession  of  architecture.  Quite  apart  from  the 
fact  that  Greece  and  Rome  have  made  such  a  funda- 
mental contribution  to  architecture  in  the  development 
of  the  orders,  a  knowledge  of  the  history  and  culture 
and  civilization  of  Greece  and  Rome  are  of  vital  im- 
portance for  every  educated  man.  If  however  one  looks 
back  on  one's  own  study  of  the  classics  in  school  and 
college,  one  feels  that  instead  of  getting  an  insight  into 
the  spirit  of  the  times  one  was  simply  bored,  and  both- 
ered with  needless  details  of  grammar.  If  the  acquisi- 
tion of  a  classical  language  necessitates  that  kind  of 
training  then,  in  my  judgment,  it  would  be  better  to 
study  the  classical  periods  in  English,  and  through  good 
translations.  I  believe  a  more  sympathetic  understand- 
ing of  the  art  of  Greece  would  be  developed  from  read- 
ing Murray's  translations  of  Euripides  than  by  the 
study  of  Greek  grammar.  I  believe  that  if  a  real  in- 
terest were  aroused  in  a  student  through  good  lectures, 


330  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

well  illustrated,  on  architecture  and  sculpture  of  Greece, 
and  if  the  student  were  familiar  with  her  literature,  that 
he  would  be  stimulated  to  follow  his  study  further  by 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  original  tongue  used  by 
the  men  who  produced  these  master-pieces  of  literature 
and  art. 

I  therefore  heartily  believe  in  the  study  of  the  class- 
ics, but  I  believe  these  studies  should  be  so  conducted  as 
to  chain  the  interest  and  attention  of  every  student.  In 
my  judgment  no  student  will  carry  away  anything  of 
vital  importance  to  him  in  his  life  from  any  study,  un- 
less, through  keen  interest  in  the  subject,  his  mind  is 
absolutely  fixed  upon  it. 

The  study  of  the  classics  would  then  begin  by  giving 
the  child  some  knowledge  of  the  vital  history  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  emphasizing  rather  the  arts  than  wars  and 
conquests.  This  should  be  followed  by  some  study  of 
the  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome,  and  if  these  studies 
awakened  a  real  interest  and  desire  to  go  further  and 
know  the  beauties  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  tongues,  then, 
and  not  until  then,  should  the  student  be  given  oppor- 
tunity to  study  in  the  original. 

ALLAN  MARQUAND 

Professor  of  Art  and  Archaeology 

Director  of  Museum  of  Historic  Art 

Princeton  University 

It  is  difficult  to  put  in  a  few  words  my  sense  of  our 
indebtedness  to  Greece  and  Rome.  The  greater  part 
of  all  that  is  beautiful  in  modern  civilization  may  be 
traced  to  classic  sources.  This  is  true  not  only  of  the 
arts  of  design,  but  of  philosophy,  literature,  and  to  a 
lesser,  but  still  notable  degree,  of  science. 


STATEMENTS  331 

It  is  obvious  that  for  an  archaeologist  a  knowledge  of 
the  classic  languages  is  indispensable.  Otherwise  how 
could  he  decipher  inscriptions,  read  documents,  and  in- 
terpret the  grand  series  of  monuments  that  remain  to 
us  from  classic,  mediaeval  and  Renaissance  times?  And 
what  is  true  for  the  archaeologist  is  true  also  for  the 
toilers  in  many  other  fields  of  learning,  and  for  every 
liberally  educated  man  as  well. 

One  nation  in  recent  years  has  endeavored  to  efface 
from  its  language  and  its  life  all  traces  of  classic  influ- 
ence. As  a  consequence  it  has  eliminated  delicacy, 
grace,  beauty  of  form  and  color,  and  has  set  in  its  place 
a  coarse,  inhuman,  brutal,  monstrous  Kultur. 

FRANK  JEWETT  MATHER,  JR. 

Professor  of  Art  and  Archaeology,  Princeton  University 

My  college  study  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics  has 
given  me  permanent  standards  by  which  I  may  weigh 
the  pleasures  of  literature.  The  smattering  of  Greek 
which  I  still  keep  gives  me  hope  of  resuming  delightful 
studies  in  the  leisure  of  old  age. 

Latin  has  remained  a  chief  utility  to  me.  It  has 
widely  opened  the  doors  of  history.  All  the  greatest 
products  of  the  human  mind  from  the  dawn  of  the 
Christian  era  to  the  Renaissance  are  set  down  not  in  the 
vernacular  tongue  but  in  Latin.  I  owe  to  my  college 
training  that  I  can  and  do  read  the  great  works  of  the 
Middle  Ages  in  the  sonorous  Latin  of  the  Christian 
fathers,  in  the  Franciscan  books  of  devotion,  in  chroni- 
cles and  charters,  in  the  songs  of  the  vagrant  students, 
in  the  pungent  satires  of  the  humanist  reformers.  Any 
literary  culture  I  may  have  acquired  has  been  largely 


332  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

due  to  such  reading.  Through  my  knowledge  of  Latin 
the  splendor  of  the  Middle  Ages  has  become  alive  to 
me.  It  is  the  only  road  to  that  vision. 

Latin  has  also  been  a  permanent  utility  in  another 
way.  With  it  as  a  background  I  have  readily  learned 
other  tongues.  I  cannot  remember  when  I  learned 
Italian  and  Spanish.  I  simply  read  them  when  I 
needed  them.  Latin  is  the  key  to  the  modern  languages. 

The  question  of  Greek  and  Latin  is  simply  whether 
the  past  of  culture  has  value  for  us  or  not.  If  one 
honestly  believes  that  most  of  the  best  thinking  and 
beautiful  writing  dates  from  after  the  discovery  of 
America,  then  the  classics  are  sheer  luxuries  like  Old 
Norse  or  Finnish.  I  prefer  to  think  that  it  is  better  to 
read  Plato  than  to  read  Herbert  Spencer,  and  that  no 
education  is  real,  from  the  point  of  view  of  history  and 
humanism,  which  leaves  the  classics  out. 

J.  G.  HOWARD 

Director  of  The  School  of  Architecture,  University  of  California 

I  consider  Latin  one  of  the  most  fruitful  subjects  of 
study  to  which  I  have  ever  given  attention,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  I  had  only  a  preparatory  school  training 
in  it,  at  the  Boston  Latin  School,  and  was  not  very 
much  of  a  scholar  at  it  even  so,  I  fear.  It  has  always 
been  a  source  of  great  refreshment  and  interest.  It 
forms  a  basis  of  keen  enjoyment  of  literature  of  all 
sorts,  technical  and  otherwise.  It  enlarges  the  vision 
and  enriches  the  sympathies.  While  it  may  not  be  im- 
mediately and  demonstrably  contributive  to  an  archi- 
tect's education  in  a  practical  way,  yet  I  feel  that  an 
architect  is  immensely  benefited  by  having  passed 
through  a  good  stiff  training  in  Latin,  and  I  always 


STATEMENTS  333 

strongly  recommend  its  study  to  young  persons  who 
propose  to  become  architects. 

THOMAS  HASTINGS 

Architect 
New  York  City 

For  Mr.  Hastings's  address  see  page  83. 

RALPH  ADAMS  CRAM 

Architect 
Boston 

Without  intelligent  knowledge  of  the  past,  as  it  has 
shown  itself  in  its  religion,  its  philosophy,  its  social  or- 
ganization and  its  art,  it  is  impossible  to  interpret  his- 
tory, to  comprehend  the  present  or  to  determine  the 
future.  The  socalled  "cultural"  studies,  emancipated 
from  psychology  and  philology,  and  dealt  with  as  liv- 
ing forces,  not  as  phenomena  of  biological  determinism, 
are  the  only  basis  for  this  constructive  knowledge.  Of 
them  all  Greek  and  Latin,  taught  as  vital  and  enduring 
realities,  not  as  "kitchen-middens"  for  the  experimental 
delving  of  the  philological  antiquarian,  are  of  the  great- 
est excellence. 

They  are  the  languages  of  the  great  epochs  of  vital 
civilization,  Hellenic,  Roman,  Mediaeval,  and  through 
them  alone  we  come  to  the  heart  of  the  true  culture  that 
stands  as  an  eternal  reproach  to  our  own  barbarism. 
Each  has,  in  itself  and  as  a  language,  something  of  the 
quality  of  the  great  past,  lost  beyond  recovery  in  trans- 
lation. They  are  the  shrine  wherein  is  preserved  the 
enduring  glory  of  man,  and  if  you  cast  away  the  shrine 
the  jewel  is  lost.  For  them  there  is  no  substitute,  be- 
yond them  no  equal  revelation  of  eternal  values.  They 
are  the  old  lamps  we  have  sold  for  the  new  of  unscrupu- 


334  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

lous  traffickers  in  Brumagem  trinkets.  Through  Greek 
and  Latin,  and  through  them  only,  can  we  come  into 
actual  personal  contact  with  that  great  past  which  is 
the  only  sound  basis  of  enduring  culture  and  righteous 
civilization.  We  have  tried  to  cut  ourselves  off  from 
history,  to  deny  the  sufficiency  of  long  established  moral 
and  intellectual  and  aesthetic  values,  to  lift  ourselves 
by  the  boot-straps  of  modernism;  and  our  attempted 
rejection  of  cultural  education,  and  of  the  eternal  lan- 
guages of  eternal  things,  is  the  adequate  symbol  of  our 
folly.  The  present  estate  of  the  world  is  a  sufficient 
commentary. 

Speaking  as  a  follower  of  one  of  the  arts,  I  can  only 
say  that  Greek  and  Latin,  as  languages,  are  of  the  esse 
of  the  art  which  was  the  recording  of  the  crowning  civi- 
lizations— Hellenic,  Roman  and  Mediaeval — of  which 
they  themselves  were  the  voicing.  If  the  "artist"  of 
today  knew  the  arts  of  these  culminating  eras,  and  the 
quality  of  their  culture  through  the  languages  them- 
selves, there  might  be  less  bad  art  and  less  world  war- 
fare and  a  more  creditable  contemporary  civilization. 

IRVING  K.  POND 

Architect 
Chicago 

It  is  altogether  because  Greek  and  Latin  have 
been  retained  in  the  curriculum  that  rare  scholars  have 
risen  from  the  mass  and  been  given  opportunity  to  in- 
terpret the  classics  and  make,  however  inadequately, 
the  application  to  modern  life ;  and  as  life  is  ever  chang- 
ing it  would  seem  natural  that  new  interpretations  and 
applications  should  from  time  to  time  be  necessary  and 
desirable;  and  this,  I  feel,  can  come  only  through  a 


STATEMENTS  335 

knowledge  of  the  languages  gained  primarily  in  the 
schools  and  a  knowledge  of  life  gained  primarily 
through  experience. 

As  to  the  value  of  the  classics,  take  just  one  phase: 
There  can  be  no  real  understanding  of  our  own  art 
today  unless  we  understand  the  art  of  the  races  which 
bequeathed  their  heritage  to  us;  and,  until  we  compre- 
hend the  character  and  value  of  the  heritage  we  cannot 
realize  the  extent  to  which  we  have  squandered  and 
dissipated  it  or  left  it  unemployed,  and  comprehending, 
bring  ourselves  to  a  determination  to  conserve  the  gift. 

Now  art  is  a  visible  symbol  of  life  and  that  we  may 
not  only  behold  the  symbol  but  recognize  its  validity 
we  need  both  an  interpretation  of  the  form  and  an  un- 
derstanding of  the  philosophy,  the  religion,  the  ethics, 
indeed,  of  all  the  factors  of  the  life  underlying  the  form. 
All  this  may  best  be  gained  by  drinking  at  the  foun- 
tain head  of  expression  in  the  original.  If  the  classics 
are  so  taught  that  the  thought  and  the  life  which  the 
language  clothes  are  to  be  of  paramount  interest,  rather 
than  grammar  and  syntax,  then  the  classics  hold  a  high 
place  in  the  curricula  of  the  schools.  If  they  are  to  be 
character  moulders,  rather  than  developers  of  vocaliz- 
ing automata,  the  classics  have  a  function  in  a  live  sys- 
tem of  education  today — and  the  times  call  for  no  other 
system.  The  times  call  for  powers  of  thought,  and 
thought  is  reaction  to  experience. 

Greek  and  Latin  are  the  embodiment  of  thoughts 
which  represent  experience;  the  experience  being  the 
vital  thing.  The  language  must  be  f  amiliar  to  one  who 
would  best  comprehend  not  only  the  thought  but  the 
delicacy  and  refinement  of  expression,  and  it  is  in  that 
light  that  the  language  must  be  studied.  Is  it  asking 


VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

too  much  that  the  teacher  be  able  to  expound  the  main- 
springs of  the  thought  as  well  as  describe  and  hear  reci- 
tations upon  the  technical  forms  in  which  the  thought 
is  embodied?  Perhaps  that  condition  which  impels  the 
calling  of  a  conference  on  classical  studies,  and  for  an 
expression  of  opinion  from  men  in  non-academic  life, 
arises  not  so  much  from  the  obsolescence  of  the  classics 
as  from  a  lack  of  comprehension  on  the  part  of  curricu- 
lum builders  and  teachers  as  to  the  real  relation  existing 
between  Greek  and  Latin  thought  and  the  thought  of 
today.  It  might  be  of  interest  to  pupils  in  schools  to- 
day to  know  and  be  able  to  see  at  first  hand  how  Greek 
idealism  has  affected  our  life  and  thought  for  the  better 
and  how  Rome  has  impressed  the  form  rather  than  the 
true  spirit  on  our  art  and  institutions.  And  where  bet- 
ter can  the  initiative  be  taken  than  in  the  schools  ?  Clas- 
sical studies  are  not  to  be  eliminated  from  the  school 
curricula  but  are  to  be  vitalized  and  made  to  bear  di- 
rectly upon  the  life  and  thought  of  our  own  age,  and 
upon  character  development,  for  which  life  and  the 
ability  to  think  are  given  us. 

E.  L.  STEWARDSON 

Architect 
Philadelphia 

I  am  very  much  in  favor  of  a  classical  education  as  a 
basis  for  architectural  as  well  as  any  other  professional 
education. 

DANIEL  CHESTER  FRENCH 

Sculptor 
New  York  City 

I  find  myself  instinctively  on  the  side  of  classical  edu- 
cation. Perhaps  reluctance  to  give  up  the  ways  our 


STATEMENTS  337 

fathers  trod  influences  me  unduly,  but,  aside  from  senti- 
ment, I  can  but  believe  that  in  this  utilitarian  and  ma- 
terial age  this  study  of  the  classics  is  needed,  not  only 
for  the  peculiar  discipline  of  the  mind  that  it  engenders 
but  for  the  very  fact  that  it  may  serve  no  more  definite 
educational  purpose  than  that  of  general  culture.  To 
train  the  youth  to  think  that  nothing  is  worth  his  while 
to  study  but  that  in  which  he  can  see  a  definite  return  in 
dollars  and  cents  would  tend  to  create  a  mercenary  point 
of  view  inimical  to  any  spiritual  development,  and  I 
can  imagine  no  influence  that  would  have  a  more  disas- 
trous effect  upon  the  idealism  and  high  aspirations  that 
exist  in  most  young  people. 

EDWIN  H.  BLASHFIELD 

Painter 
New  York  City 

I  can't  imagine  anyone  being  entirely  contented  with- 
out some  acquaintance  with  some  of  the  classical  people. 
They  were  such  very  good  society!  If  Dante  and 
Shakespeare  and  Milton  got  such  a  lot  of  comfort  out 
of  them,  might  not  we  find  some  really  solid,  even  "prac- 
tical," advantage  in  their  company?  Surely  they  are 
stimulating.  If  elegance,  force  and  terseness  are  desir- 
able qualities,  surely  we  may  find  them  in  their  written 
words,  and  if  visible  beauty  is  worth  while,  where  may 
you  find  it  more  perfect  (or  more  perfectly  pedestalled) 
than  on  the  rock  of  the  Athenian  Acropolis?  If  we 
care  about  getting  at  the  roots  of  almost  anything,  we 
must  care  about  the  antique  people;  for  if  you  dig  a 
little  anywhere  in  Europe  west  of  the  Rhine  or  south 
of  the  Danube,  you  come  upon  them. 

Everybody  wants  to  be  "practical"  nowadays.    But 


338  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

if  you  cannot  break  the  continuity  of  literature  or  of 
architecture — and  you  can't — is  it  practical,  or  even 
safe,  to  decide  on  any  one  point  at  which  you  can  with 
advantage  ignore  continuity? 

HORATIO  PARKER 

Professor  of  Music,  Yale  University 

Experience  of  many  years  in  college  life  at  Yale  has 
shown  me  that  the  best  musicians  have  invariably  shown 
better  general  scholarship  than  those  who  were  music- 
ally poorer.  Fine  mental  texture  is  as  needful  and  as 
profitable  in  music  as  in  any  other  work. 

There  is  no  question  in  my  mind  of  the  usefulness  of 
classical  studies,  nor  even  of  their  essential  character  in 
the  liberal  education  without  which  a  creative  musician 
of  power  can  never  do  his  work  thoroughly  well. 

14.     ORIENTAL  STUDIES 

STATEMENT  FROM  LORD  REDESDALE'S  MEMOIRS 

Vol.  I,  page  93 

The  best  Oriental  scholars  whom  I  have  known  have 
all  been  men  who  attacked  their  Eastern  studies  armed 
with  the  weapons  furnished  by  a  classical  education.  In 
China  Sir  Harry  Parkes  was  an  admirable  oral  inter- 
preter. But  he,  himself,  as  I  have  said  elsewhere,  al- 
ways regretted  his  want  of  classical  training — nor 
would  it  be  possible  to  compare  him  with  that  great 
scholar,  Sir  Thomas  Wade.  In  Japan  Von  Siebold  was 
as  fluent  a  talker  as  could  be  found.  He  was  the  son 
of  the  famous  physician  and  naturalist,  who  was  at- 
tached to  the  Dutch  Mission  at  Deshima,  and  had  learnt 
Japanese  ambulando.  But  it  would  be  childish  to 


STATEMENTS  339 

name  him  with  such  learned  men  as  Satow,  Aston  and 
Chamberlain,  men  who  brought  the  training  and  liter- 
ature of  the  West  to  their  studies  in  the  East.  It  is  not 
without  significance  to  note  the  great  respect  which 
such  men  were  able  to  command,  whereas  the  mere  par- 
rot, however  clever,  was  held  in  little  more  esteem  than 
a  head  waiter.  Think  of  Basil  Chamberlain  appointed 
to  the  Chair  of  ancient  Japanese  literature  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Tokio. 

And  our  own  beautiful  English,  the  language  of 
Chaucer,  Shakespeare,  Milton:  will  that  not  suffer  if  a 
false  utilitarianism  should  succeed  in  banishing  the 
classics  from  our  schools? 

MAURICE  BLOOMFIELD 

Professor  of  Sanskrit  and  Comparative  Philology 
Johns  Hopkins  University 

I  believe  firmly  that  the  classics  are  the  most  essen- 
tial factor  in  a  liberal  education. 

I  am  almost  stunned  by  one  factor  of  the  modern  edu- 
cational theory,  namely,  its  failure  to  furnish  common 
ground  for  educated  men  to  meet  upon.  About  forty 
years  ago  it  seemed  as  though  natural  science,  that  is  to 
say,  its  intellectual  and  imaginative  outcomes,  might 
furnish  a  substitute  for  the  common  property  shared  in 
the  classics  by  all  educated  men.  It  was  the  day  after 
Darwin,  the  day  of  Tyndall,  Huxley,  Buechner,  Wal- 
lace and  others.  But  the  riddle  of  the  cosmos  proved 
too  intricate.  The  facile  appeal  of  evolution  has  been 
modified,  if  not  replaced,  by  more  austere  theories  which 
are  scarcely  intelligible  to  the  layman.  The  various 
modern  literatures  are  segregative  and  brew  chauvin- 
ism. The  classics  alone  are  the  common  priceless  pos- 


340  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

session  of  the  Western  world,  and  a  really  communal 
liberal  education  without  them  is  very  hard  to  imagine. 
I  forgot  to  mention  the  social  sciences  are  too  unstable 
for  the  purpose  mentioned;  they  follow  after  historical 
events  of  all  sorts,  and  are  under  the  domination  of 
tangled  circumstances  and  the  will  of  individuals. 
Hence  the  rise  and  fall  of  such  economic  interests  as  the 
tariff  question  which  seemed  at  one  time  to  bind  to- 
gether the  intellects  of  all  men. 

I  am  not  fitted  by  my  occupation  to  make  a  really 
substantial  plea  for  the  classics.  This  letter,  as  well  as 
my  printed  utterances,  are  impressionist  and  nothing 
more.  I  mean  them  both,  at  any  rate,  to  convey  my 
settled  conviction  that  a  really  liberal  education  with- 
out the  classics  is  not  to  be  imagined. 

RUDOLPH  E.  BRUENNOW 

Late  Professor  of  Semitic  Philology,  Princeton  University 

I  am  most  decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  history,  literature  and  political  insti- 
tutions of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome  forms  the  essential 
basis  for  the  correct  understanding  of  the  intellectual, 
political,  and  social  development  of  the  later  European 
nations  down  to  the  present  time,  and  that  it  should 
therefore,  be  required  of  every  one  who  aspires  to  play 
a  part  in  that  development,  or  to  exercise  functions 
whose  roots  still  derive  a  large  part  of  their  nourish- 
ment from  Hellenic  and  Italic  soil. 

It  is  idle  to  assert  that  the  study  of  the  natural 
sciences  can  take  the  place  of  the  classical  languages. 
For  those  studies  have  reference  only  to  the  objects  of 
the  outer  world,  not  to  the  intellect  itself,  and  are  only 
then  really  educative  in  the  sense  of  giving  an  intellect- 


STATEMENTS  341 

ual  training  when  they  involve  mathematics,  as  in  the 
science  of  physics.  The  acquisition  of  the  mere  facts 
of  natural  science  has  no  educative  value  whatever  by 
itself,  but  only  as  a  basis  for  the  exercise  of  the  general- 
izing faculty,  and  this  faculty  is  best  developed  when 
the  intellectual  relations  are  brought  to  their  highest 
point  by  means  of  the  study  of  their  best  means  of  ex- 
pression. 

To  conclude,  I  should  consider  it  almost  a  crime  to 
deprive  future  generations  of  the  opportunity  of  de- 
veloping their  intellectual  faculties  on  the  broadest  basis 
by  debarring  them  from  the  use  of  the  most  powerful 
engine  that  has  ever  been  devised  for  the  attainment  of 
that  end. 

MORRIS  JASTROW,  JR. 

Professor  of  Semitic  Languages,  University  of  Pennsylvania 

I  am  a  believer  in  modernizing  our  system  of  educa- 
tion so  as  to  cope  with  present  conditions  of  life,  but  I 
also  believe  no  less  strongly  in  the  desirability  of  en- 
couraging in  every  possible  way  the  study  of  the 
classics.  The  two  ideas  are  not  incompatible,  though 
this  appears  to  be  an  opinion  commonly  held.  Educa- 
tional methods  are  subject  to  constant  change  and  it  is 
right  that  they  should  be,  for  every  age  ought  to  de- 
velop its  own  system.  This  applies  particularly  to  a 
period  like  the  present,  dominated  to  so  large  an  extent 
by  discoveries  of  a  far-reaching  character  in  the  domain 
of  the  natural  sciences  and  which  have  so  largely  affected 
modern  thought,  our  attitude  towards  things  in  general 
and  our  standards  and  method  of  life.  I  believe  that  in 
accordance  with  these  changed  conditions,  education, 
particularly  of  the  very  young,  should  concern  itself 


342  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

very  largely  with  developing  knowledge  of  nature 
through  observation  and  experiment  and  should  also 
seek  to  introduce  the  young  through  manual  training 
and  other  means,  to  an  appreciation  of  the  practical 
sides  of  life,  to  an  understanding  of  the  industrial  arts 
which  play  such  a  large  part  in  modern  economy — in 
short  to  lay  emphasis  on  the  necessity  of  obtaining 
knowledge  that  is  primarily  useful. 

At  the  same  time  there  are  other  aspects  of  modern 
life  which  need  to  be  understood  and  which  do  not — 
primarily  at  least — fall  within  the  category  of  the  use- 
ful and  practical.  I  have  not  in  mind  now  what  is  con- 
ventionally known  as  the  training  of  the  mind.  That 
undoubtedly  can  be  accomplished  through  any  subject 
which  is  studied  intensively  and  which  demands  an  ex- 
ercise of  one's  mental  faculties.  The  aim  of  the  cultural 
subjects  is,  as  I  take  it,  to  enlarge  one's  vision,  to  make 
one  appreciate  the  forces  underlying  civilization,  to 
give  one  a  taste  for  good  reading,  for  music,  for  art, 
aye,  for  philosophy,  for  an  understanding  of  the  funda- 
mental problems  of  the  universe  with  which  man  has 
grappled  ever  since  he  began  to  think,  and  without 
which  one  may  become  a  religious  automaton,  but  never 
reach  out  to  what  religion  really  is  and  what  part  it  has 
played  in  the  world's  history.  Now,  the  value  of  the 
study  of  the  classics  among  the  cultural  subjects  rests, 
if  I  mistake  not,  ultimately  on  the  dependence  of  mod- 
ern culture  upon  the  standards  and  ideals  developed  in 
ancient  Greece  and  Rome.  I  do  not  mean,  of  course,  to 
assert  that  Latin  and  Greek  are  the  only  foundations  of 
modern  civilization,  but  certainly  they  constitute  most 
important  stones  in  that  foundation.  It  is  not  impos- 
sible, though  almost  impossible  and  certainly  very  diffi- 


STATEMENTS  343 

cult,  to  get  an  appreciation  of  Greek  and  Roman  civi- 
lization without  some  knowledge  at  least  of  Latin  and 
Greek.  The  language  of  a  people  not  only  reveals  its 
genius,  but  is,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  an  expression  of  the 
intellectual  life  of  the  people.  A  knowledge  of  the 
language  is,  therefore,  the  most  direct  method  of  ap- 
proach toward  an  understanding  of  any  particular 
civilization  which  has  left  literary  remains.  It  means 
going  directly  to  the  source  for  a  grasp  of  Greek  and 
Roman  ideas,  of  Greek  and  Roman  modes  of  thought, 
of  Greek  and  Roman  contributions  to  the  intellectual, 
political,  social,  philosophical  and  religious  treasury  of 
mankind;  and  I  hold  that  even  "a  little  Latin  and  less 
Greek"  is  a  better  approach  than  if  we  depend  entirely 
upon  translation  as  a  medium.  As  the  late  Dr.  Furness 
said,  in  a  farewell  address  to  the  students  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  "If  you  cannot  drink  deep  out 
of  the  Pierian  spring,  in  heaven's  name,  take  a  sip." 
It  is  manifestly  impossible,  for  reasons  that  it  will  be 
superfluous  to  set  forth,  for  any  large  proportion  of 
those  who  study  some  Latin  and  a  little  Greek,  to  be- 
come proficient  in  these  languages.  We  should  neither 
expect  the  impossible,  nor  is  it  desirable  even  to  strive 
for  it.  The  purpose  of  a  high  school  or  a  collegiate  edu- 
cation is  not  to  develop  a  specialist  in  any  field,  but  to 
produce  an  all-round  man  or  woman,  prepared  to  take 
up  that  special  province  which  each  one  selects  (or  has 
selected  for  him)  as  his  life's  work. 

As  for  those  who  wish  to  take  up  scholarly  pursuits, 
no  matter  in  what  field,  a  knowledge  of  Latin  and 
Greek  is  of  such  invaluable  and  direct  aid  that  it  may 
properly  be  called  indispensable.  Unless  one  can  ac- 
quire the  scholarly  attitude,  one  can  never  be  a  scholar 


344  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

in  the  real  sense.  Whether  it  be  in  the  field  of  litera- 
ture, mathematics,  archaeology,  philology,  medicine, 
law,  or  even  any  of  the  natural  sciences,  or  engineering 
or  mechanics,  provided  one  has  the  ambition  to  pass  be- 
yond merely  practical  application,  the  direct  approach 
toward  the  two  great  civilizations  of  the  past,  of  which 
Europe  and  America  are  the  direct  heirs,  is  more  cer- 
tain of  creating  the  indispensable  scholarly  attitude 
than  anything  else  that  has  so  far  been  tried.  That  di- 
rect approach  is  the  study  of  some  Latin  and  some 
Greek — and  by  "some"  I  mean  as  much  as  one  can  get. 
A  substitute  "something  just  as  good"  may  some  day 
be  found,  but  the  discoverer  has  not  yet  appeared  on  the 
horizon.  It  was,  I  believe,  Sydney  Smith  who  made  the 
oft  quoted  remark  that  the  Lord  might  have  created  a 
more  luscious  fruit  than  the  strawberry,  but  it  is  certain 
that  He  never  did. 

If  one  believes  that  a  thoroughly  modern  system  of 
education  needs  to  be  supplemented  by  due  considera- 
tion for  purely  cultural  subjects,  I  do  not  see  how  one 
can  escape  the  conclusion  that  the  direct  approach 
through  the  study  of  the  classics  is  an  essential  factor  in 
the  endeavor  to  produce  what,  for  want  of  a  better  term, 
we  may  designate  "an  all-round"  man  or  woman.  Let 
me  emphasize  once  more  that  in  this  statement  I  have 
not  in  mind  the  scholar,  for  whom,  as  I  have  tried  to 
point  out,  Latin  and  Greek  is  so  valuable  an  adjunct  in 
creating  in  the  individual  the  scholarly  attitude  as  to 
justify  one  in  saying  that  it  is  indispensable.  My  plea 
is  for  the  man  or  woman  of  general  culture,  and  I  am 
not  urging  proficiency  as  the  goal  for  this  large  class, 
but  only  some  Latin  and,  if  you  choose,  not  as  much 
Greek,  merely  because  the  study  of  these  languages  is 


STATEMENTS  345 

the  direct  and,  as  I  venture  to  think,  for  this  reason  also 
the  easiest  approach  toward  an  understanding  of  an 
important  section  of  mankind's  history  and  achieve- 
ments which  directly  concern  us  of  the  present  day. 

BRITISH  AND  FRENCH  STATEMENTS 

JOINT  STATEMENT  OF  VlSCOUNT  BfiYCE  AND  OTHERS 

First  published  in  The  London  Times,  May  4,  1916 

Under  the  shock  and  stress  of  the  war  the  aims  and 
methods  of  education  have  to  be  considered  anew.  This 
reconsideration,  in  the  special  conditions  of  the  time, 
brings  with  it  a  risk  that  we  may  ignore  elements  in 
education  vital  in  the  formation  and  maintenance  of 
national  character.  A  great  war,  in  which  material 
means  and  technical  skill  are  the  most  obvious  factors 
in  deciding  the  issue,  inclines  a  nation  to  prize  these  to 
the  exclusion  of  forces  finally  even  more  important ;  and 
if  in  our  reforms  we  fix  our  eyes  only  on  material  ends 
we  may  foster  ourselves  that  very  spirit  against  which 
we  are  fighting  today. 

At  a  time  when  the  energies  of  the  nation  are  neces- 
sarily concentrated  on  other  matters  sweeping  changes 
are  proposed  without  their  effects  being  thought  out. 
It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  our  higher  education 
should  not  become  materialistic  through  too  narrow  a 
regard  for  practical  efficiency.  Technical  knowledge  is 
essential  to  our  industrial  prosperity  and  national  safe- 
ty; but  education  should  be  nothing  less  than  a  prepa- 
ration for  the  whole  of  life.  It  should  introduce  the 
future  citizens  of  the  community  not  merely  to  the 
physical  structure  of  the  world  in  which  they  live  but 


346  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

also  to  the  deeper  interests  and  problems  of  politics, 
thought  and  human  life.  It  should  acquaint  them,  so 
far  as  may  be,  with  the  capacities  and  ideals  of  man- 
kind as  expressed  in  literature  and  in  art,  with  its  am- 
bitions and  achievements  as  recorded  in  history  and 
with  the  nature  and  laws  of  tht  world  as  interpreted  by 
science,  philosophy  and  religion.  If  we  neglect  physi- 
cal science  we  shall  have  a  very  imperfect  knowledge  of 
the  world  around  us;  but  if  we  ignore  or  subordinate 
the  other  elements  of  knowledge,  we  shall  cut  ourselves 
off  from  aspects  of  life  of  even  greater  importance. 
Even  physical  science  will  suffer.  Some  of  its  most 
distinguished  representatives  have  strongly  insisted  that 
early  specialization  is  injurious  to  the  interests  they  have 
at  heart  and  that  the  best  preparation  for  scientific  pur- 
suits is  a  general  training  which  includes  some  study  of 
language,  literature  and  history.  Such  a  training  gives 
width  of  view  and  flexibility  of  intellect.  Industry  and 
commerce  will  be  most  successfully  pursued  by  men 
whose  education  has  stimulated  their  imagination  and 
widened  their  sympathies. 

It  is  our  conviction  that  the  nation  requires  scientific 
method  and  a  belief  in  knowledge,  even  more  than  physi- 
cal science,  and  that  the  former  is  by  no  means  identi- 
cal with  the  latter.  We  might  enthrone  physical  science 
in  all  our  schools  without  acquiring  as  a  nation  what  we 
most  need,  the  persuasion  that  knowledge  is  essential 
to  success  and  that  this  knowledge  means  facts  labori- 
ously gathered,  wisely  selected  and  carefully  tested. 
This  scientific  method  is  not  the  peculiar  property  of 
physical  science;  all  good  work  in  all  studies  is  based 
upon  it,  it  is  indispensable  to  law,  history,  classics,  poli- 
tics and  all  branches  of  knowledge  rightly  understood. 


STATEMENTS  347 

What  we  want  is  scientific  method  in  all  the  branches 
of  an  education  which  will  develop  human  faculty  to 
the  highest  possible  degree. 

In  this  education  we  believe  that  the  study  of  Greece 
and  Rome  must  always  have  a  large  part,  because  our 
whole  civilization  is  rooted  in  the  history  of  these  peo- 
ples, and  without  knowledge  of  them  cannot  be  properly 
understood.  The  small  city  communities  of  Greece 
created  the  intellectual  life  of  Europe.  In  their  liter- 
ature we  find  models  of  thought  and  expression  and 
meet  the  subtle  and  powerful  personalities  who  origi- 
nated for  Europe  all  forms  of  poetry,  history  and  phil- 
osophy, and  even  physical  science  itself,  no  less  than 
the  ideal  of  freedom  and  the  conception  of  a  self-govern- 
ing democracy;  while  the  student  is  introduced  to  the 
great  problems  of  thought  and  life  at  their  springs  be- 
fore he  follows  them  through  the  wider  but  more  con- 
fused currents  of  the  modern  world.  Nor  can  it  be 
right  that  the  educated  citizens  of  a  great  empire  should 
remain  ignorant  of  the  first  state  that  met  the  problem 
of  uniting  in  a  contented  and  prosperous  common- 
wealth nations  differing  in  race,  temper  and  culture, 
and  which  has  left  so  deep  a  mark  on  the  language,  law 
and  political  conceptions  of  Europe.  Some  knowledge 
of  Latin  is  indispensable  for  the  intelligent  study  of  any 
one  of  these  things,  and  even  for  the  intelligent  use  of 
our  own  language.  Greece  and  Rome  afford  us  unique 
instances,  the  one  of  creative  and  critical  intelligence, 
the  other  of  constructive  statesmanship.  Nor  can  we 
afford  to  neglect  the  noble  precepts  and  shining  ex- 
amples of  patriotism  with  which  their  history  abounds. 

In  urging  this  we  do  not  commit  ourselves  to  defend- 
ing the  present  system  of  classical  education  in  all  its 


348  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

details.  Still  less  do  we  claim  for  it  any  artificial  privi- 
lege. We  cordially  sympathize  with  the  desire  to 
strengthen  the  teaching  of  modern  history,  of  modern 
languages  and  of  the  literature  of  our  own  country. 
Further,  we  fully  accept  the  importance  of  promoting 
scientific  research,  of  extending  scientific  instruction  in 
schools  where  it  is  still  inadequately  provided  and  of 
improving  the  quality  of  science  teaching;  and  we  de- 
sire to  cooperate  with  the  representatives  of  these  studies 
in  ensuring  them  a  due  place  in  our  national  education. 
At  the  same  time  we  would  point  out  that  much  criti- 
cism of  our  schools  seems  directed  against  a  past  state 
of  things,  and  ignores  reforms  which  have  been  already 
effected.  It  is  sometimes  forgotten  that  the  teaching 
of  physical  science  is  compulsory  in  all  State  aided 
secondary  schools,  that  of  Latin,  and  of  course  of  Greek, 
in  none. 
(Signed) 

Bryce  F.  Huth  Jackson 

J.  B.  Bury  Frederic  G.  Kenyon 

Randall  Cantuar.  Horace  Lamb 

Cromer  Walter  Leaf 

Curzon  of  Kedleston         Donald  MacAlister 
Alfred  Dale  Gilbert  Murray 

F.  W.  Dyson  W.  Osier 

Esher  C.  Oxon. 

H.  A.  L.  Fisher  W.  Ridgeway 

Edward  Fry  E.  H.  Seymour 

A.  Geikie  G.  O.  Trevelyan 

Alfred  Hopkinson 


STATEMENTS  349 

MANIFESTO  OF  THE  FRENCH  ACADEMY 

Manifesto,  signed  May  18,  1911,  by  all  the  members 
of  the  French  Academy  present  at  the  session  of  that 
date: 

"At  a  time  when  on  all  sides  and  in  all  domains  the 
consciousness  of  French  traditions  is  apparently  weak- 
ening a  revival  of  the  national  ideal  is  more  than  ever 
necessary. 

"Whatever  we  do,  our  origins,  our  language,  our 
spirit  render  us  accessory  to  a  past  which  extends  from 
the  earliest  epochs  of  our  history  down  to  our  own  age. 

"This  truth  is  systematically  forgotten  when  we  lay 
ourselves  liable  to  discrediting  classical  culture  and  the 
humanities,  the  sap  which  permeates  deeply  our  medi- 
terranean civilization  and  which  has  not  yet  brought  to 
bloom  all  its  flowers.  The  genius  of  our  race  owes  it  to 
itself  to  preserve  and  cause  to  wax  this  creative  force, 
to  disseminate  it  abundantly  in  the  world.  But  this  is 
possible  only  on  condition  that  it  is  drawn  up  always 
into  the  very  roots  of  our  civilizaton. 

"There  is  no  lack  of  harmony  between  scientific  train- 
ing and  the  humanities,  which,  far  from  constituting  a 
useless  school  of  elegance,  form  the,  best  exercise  and 
the  surest  discipline  of  the  mind. 

"There  is  no  longer  any  antagonism  between  the  hu- 
manities and  modern  society,  which,  to  escape  turning  to 
demagogism,  requires  an  intellectual  elite.  The  richest 
source  of  this  elite  is  in  the  people,  if  only  the  means  can 
be  found  of  rendering  the  humanities  accessible. 

Thus  it  is  that,  quite  apart  from  a  spirit  of  partisan- 
ship, men  can  rally  to  the  standard  of  the  humanities. 

"It  is  important  to  collect  all  scattered  forces;  the 


350  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

first  step  in  this  direction  is  to  organize  the  defence  of 
French  culture  through  permanent  and  concerted  ac- 
tion, though  without  political  complexion  or  aim." 

To  this  movement  the  following  members  of  the  In- 
stitute gave  their  approval: 

MM.  Emile  Ollivier,  Alfred  Mezieres,  le  comte 
d'Haussonville,  Jules  Claretie,  Pierre  Loti,  Thureau- 
Dangin,  Paul  Bourget,  Jules  Lemaitre,  le  comte  de 
Mun,  Gabriel  Hanotaux,  Henri  Lavedan,  Paul  De- 
schanel,  Paul  Hervieu,  Emile  Faguet,  le  marquis  de 
Vogue,  Edmond  Rostand,  Frederic  Masson,  Rene  Bazin, 
Etienne  Lamy,  Maurice  Barres,  Maurice  Donnay,  le 
marquis  de  Segur,  Francis  Charmes,  Jean  Richepin, 
Henri  Poincare,  Eugene  Brieux,  Jean  Aicard,  Rene 
Doumic,  Marcel  Prevost,  Henri  de  Regnier,  Henry 
Roujon,  Denys  Cochin,  de  T Academic  francaise. 

MM.  Perrot,  Senart,  Schlumberger,  Heron  de  Ville- 
fosse,  Longnon,  de  Lasteyrie,  Barth,  Babelon,  Omont, 
president;  Leger,  Valois,  Chatelain,  Haussoullier, 
Scheil,  Prou,  Joret,  Cordier,  de  I'Academie  des  inscrip- 
tions et  belles  lettres. 

MM.  Jordan,  Henri  Poincare,  Emile  Picard,  Hum- 
bert, Leaute,  Lecornu,  Wolf,  Grandidier,  Bassot, 
Violle,  Amagat,  Gautier,  Lemoine,  Haller,  Le  Chate- 
lier,  Douville,  Termier,  Prillieux,  Zeiller,  Chauveau, 
Perrier,  Bouvier,  Henneguy,  Bouchard,  Guy  on,  d'Ar- 
sonval,  de  Freycinet,  Haton  de  la  Goupilliere,  Adolphe 
Carnot,  Alfred  Picard,  Carpentier,  de  1' Academic  des 
sciences. 

MM.  Jean-Paul  Laurens,  Detaille,  Cormon,  Dag- 
nan-Bouveret,  Lhermitte,  Collin,  Denys  Puech,  In j al- 
bert, Saint-Marceaux,  Verlet,  Pascal,  Nenot,  Moyaux, 
Girault,  Saint-Saens,  Massenet,  Paladilhe,  Th.  Dubois, 


STATEMENTS  351 

G.  Faure,  Lafenestre,  Guiffrey,  Aynard,  Richer,  E.  de 
Rothschild,  J.  Comte,  de  Selves,  de  1'Academie  des 
beaux  arts. 

MM.  Alfred  Fouillee,  d'Haussonville,  Charles  Be- 
noist,  de  Francqueville,  Betoland,  Renault,  Morizot- 
Thibault,  Paul  Leroy-Beaulieu,  Rene  Stourm,  E. 
d'Eichtal,  P.  Beauregard,  Colson,  Ronquain,  Chuquet, 
Faguiez,  H.  Welschinger,  P.  de  la  Gorce,  Imbart  de  la 
Tour,  Xavier  Charmes,  Lafebure,  Voisin,  de  1'Acade- 
mie  des  sciences  morales  et  politiques. 

Translated  from  the  Revue  Universitavre,  1911,  II,  pp.  62-63. 

STATEMENT  OF  M.  SABRAUT 

Minister  of  Public  Instruction 

In  February,  1915,  M.  Albert  Sarraut,  Minister  of 
Public  Instruction,  refusing  to  accept  a  proposal  look- 
ing toward  a  certain  modification  of  the  requirements 
for  the  admission  to  higher  scientific  studies  in  the 
French  universities,  wrote: 

"It  seems  to  me  that  if  this  modification  in  the  actual 
regulations  were  accepted  those  having  in  view  medical 
studies  would  find  it  still  more  easy  than  at  present  to 
obtain  remission  of  the  bachelor's  degree.  .  .  . 

I  regard  the  bachelor's  degree  as  in  practice  furnish- 
ing the  necessary  guarantee  of  the  classical  study  which 
makes  it  possible  to  follow  with  real  profit  the  courses 
of  the  universities.  ...  I  do  not  think  that  I  ought  to 
extend  facilities  which  have  the  drawback  of  damaging 
that  classical  culture  the  high  educational  worth  of  which 
present  circumstances  cause  us  still  more  clearly  to 
understand." 

From  the  Bulletin  Administratif  du  Ministere  de  I'lnstruction  publique, 
February  27,  1915;  see  Revue  Unvoeraitaire,  1915,  I,  p.  116. 


352  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

OPINION  OF  LEADING  FRENCH  IRONMASTERS 

Extract  from  letter  of  President  Guillain  in  behalf  of  the  Comitt  des 
Forges  (French  Forges  and  Furnaces),  and  addressed  to  the  Minister  of 
Public  Instruction  in  1911. 

After  having  affirmed  that  young  engineers  are  for 
the  most  part  incapable  of  expressing  their  ideas  in  clear 
and  well  composed  reports  the  letter  continues:  "This 
incapacity  has  not  only  the  effect  of  diminishing  the 
value  and  the  serviceable  production  of  our  co-workers, 
it  has,  furthermore,  the  great  inconvenience  of  dimin- 
ishing to  an  extraordinary  degree  the  number  of  men 
whom  the  keenness  and  the  breadth  of  their  intelligence, 
the  accuracy  and  depth  of  their  judgment  fit  to  direct 
great  businesses,  to  produce  new  ones  and  to  maintain 
France  in  the  place  which  in  spite  of  her  lack  of  natural 
resources  her  clear  genius  has  been  able  to  assure  her 
in  the  van  of  progress  in  the  industrial  arts  and  sciences. 

"It  appears  to  us  ...  that  this  decay  in  the  general 
culture  of  our  youth  must  find  its  cause  not  only  in  the 
different  reforms  of  secondary  education  which  we  have 
seen  introduced  during  a  number  of  years  and  which 
have  found  their  complete  expression  in  the  courses  of 
study  of  1902  but  also  in  the  spirit  which  animates  to- 
day all  university  education,  and  which,  to  increase  the 
number  of  subjects  put  within  the  reach  of  our  youth, 
dispenses  more  and  more  with  the  painful  but  fruitful 
discipline  resultant  from  personal  effort.  At  this  very 
time,  if  modern  education  is  not  giving  us  that  which 
had  been  promised  to  us,  young  people  well  equipped 
for  life  and  thoroughly  versed  in  foreign  languages, 
what  has  been  left  of  classical  instruction  no  longer 
guarantees  to  the  great  schools,  charged  with  the  train- 
ing of  the  future  captains  of  national  industry,  material 


STATEMENTS  353 

copiously  and  forcefully  enough  cultivated  to  receive 
properly  the  higher  training  which  these  institutions 
bestow. 

".  .  .  We  permit  ourselves  to  call  to  your  attention 
the  necessity  of  recasting  the  scheme  of  secondary  edu- 
cation, and  the  danger  of  all  measures  .  .  .  which  tend 
by  a  set  of  unjustified  equivalents  to  cause  secondary 
education  in  the  classics  to  lose  the  preeminent  place 
that  it  ought  to  occupy  in  the  training  of  young  people 
who  are  designed  to  recruit  our  great  schools." 

NOTE  :  As  was  pointed  out  by  the  Minister  of  Public 
Instruction  in  his  reply  to  this  communication,  and  by 
M.  Lanson  in  the  Revue  Bleue,  (December  24,  1911), 
the  defects  in  the  mental  equipment  of  young  engineers, 
of  which  the  Comite  des  Forges  complained,  could  not  be 
entirely  attributed  to  the  reform  scheme  of  1902,  since 
this  had  not  been  in  force  long  enough  to  permit  accu- 
rate estimate  of  its  effects.  Nevertheless,  the  letter  is 
a  significant  expression  of  what,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
foremost  technical  men  of  France,  study  of  the  classics 
is  better  able  than  rival  disciplines  to  contribute  to 
practical  education. 

Translated  from  the  Revue  Urviversitaire,  1911,  I,  p.  62. 

OPINIONS  or  BERTHELOT  AND  HENRI  POINCARE 

Berthelot,  the  illustrious  chemist,  was  asked  how  he 
had  been  led  to  his  discoveries :  "By  learning  Greek," 
he  replied.  ...  It  was  from  the  Greeks  that  Henri 
Poincare,  the  mathematical  genius,  gained  the  secret  of 
his  daring  achievements  in  mathematics ;  .  .  .  one  of  his 
last  works  was  an  eloquent  plea  for  the  humanities. 

Translated  from  an  address  delivered  by  Paul  Monceaux,  retiring  presi- 
dent of  the  Association  for  the  Encouragement  of  Greek  Studies,  to  the 
general  assembly  of  the  members  of  the  Association,  May  8,  1913;  see 
Revue  des  Etudes  Grecques,  26  (1913),  p.  LXIV. 


IV 
STATISTICS 


STATISTICS 

In  connection  with  the  Princeton  Conference  on 
Classical  Studies  in  Liberal  Education  a  pamphlet  was 
issued,  intended  at  first  merely  for  distribution  among 
those  in  attendance  upon  the  Conference  itself,  in  which 
brief  answers,  in  statistical  form,  were  given  to  two 
questions  which  are  frequently  raised  in  current  discus- 
sions of  the  educational  issues  involved.  These  ques- 
tions are:  Is  Latin  dying  out  in  the  schools?  and  How 
do  classical  students  in  school  and  college  succeed  in 
meeting  the  various  intellectual  tests  in  which  they  are 
brought  into  competition  with  the  non-classical  students? 
This  pamphlet  has  aroused  such  widespread  interest 
throughout  the  country  that  it  has  been  thought  worth 
while  to  reproduce  the  statistics  with  large  additions  as 
the  final  chapter  of  the  present  volume.  The  material, 
which  was  presented  in  the  pamphlet  in  summary  form 
without  unnecessary  details  or  discussion,  has  been  some- 
what more  fully  presented  and  more  material  has  been 
added;  the  data  from  which  the  deductions  were  drawn 
have  been  definitely  indicated  and  the  statistics  have 
been  made  more  complete  wherever  practicable. 

I.  Enrollment  of  Classical  Students  in  Secondary 

Schools 

The  assaults  which  have  recently  been  made  upon 
the  study  of  Latin  have  given  the  impression  in  some 
quarters  that  Latin  is  upon  its  last  legs  in  the  secondary 

857 


358  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

schools  of  the  country.  Indeed,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent advocates  of  the  displacement  in  the  school  curricu- 
lum of  such  "traditional"  subjects  as  algebra,  Latin  and 
history  by  "modern"  and  "practical"  subjects  declared 
not  long  ago  in  a  public  address  that  he  was  unjustly 
accused  of  "trying  to  kill  Latin";  that,  on  the  contrary, 
it  "was  dead  already"  and  he  was  merely  helping  to 
bury  it. 

The  status  of  Latin  in  the  secondary  schools  of  the 
country  is  a  matter  not  of  opinion  but  of  fact;  and  in 
the  interpretation  of  the  facts,  which  are  accessible  to 
all  in  the  Reports  of  the  United  States  Commissioner 
of  Education,  the  weight  of  public  opinion,  which  in  the 
end  determines  which  subjects  shall  be  pursued  in  the 
high  schools  and  which  shall  be  preferred  because  of 
their  real  or  imagined  value  to  the  youth  of  the  land,  is 
the  factor  chiefly  to  be  recognized.  Innovations  in  the 
school  curriculum  are  frequently  made,  not  so  much  in 
response  to  popular  demand  as  in  consequence  of  the 
agitation  of  professional  educators,  whereas  the  persis- 
tence of  the  older  studies  in  spite  of  the  increasing  com- 
petition of  a  large  variety  of  new  subjects  which  are 
generally  advertised  and  zealously  promoted  as  making 
for  practical  success  in  life  must  be  taken  as  evidence 
of  a  firmly  rooted  conviction  on  the  part  of  the  masses. 

The  following  table,  which  gives  the  enrollment  of 
pupils  in  the  secondary  schools  of  the  United  States 
from  1890  to  1915  at  five-year  periods,  reproduces  the 
statistics  of  the  Report  of  the  United  States  Commis- 
sioner of  Education  for  1916,  Vol.  II,  page  489: 


STATISTICS 


359 


1890         1895          1900          1905          1910 
Total    Enrollment...  297,894    468,446     719,241     786,909     817,653 

English    Literature 259,493    378,819     466,477 

Rhetoric    146,672    237,502    372,266    462,711 

History     82,909     162,336     238,134    318,775     455,200 

Algebra    127,397     245,465     347,013    444,092    465,375 

Latin    100,144     205,006     314,856     391,067     405,502 

Vocal  -Music 

Geometry   59,781     114,813     168,518    219,083    252,404 

German     34,208      58,921       94,873     160,066     192,933 

Drawing   

Physical   Geography 105,124     144,135     165,631     156,500 

Physics     63,644     103,768     118,936     123,282     120,910 

Domestic  Economy 33,866 

Manual  Training 

French     28,032      45,746       65,684      89,777       95,671 

Physiology   131,304     169,844     171,850     128,826 

Botany    133,667 

Civil    Government 132,863     140,459     130,740 

Chemistry     28,665       43,607       50,431       55,414      58,290 

Civics    

Agriculture   37,203 

General    Biology 

Bookkeeping    

Zoology 64,428 

Spanish 5,283 

Trigonometry    15,243      15,268      17,256       17,864 

Psychology    15,677      20,126       14,540      11,004 

Industrial    

Greek    12,869      22,159      24,869       17,158      10,739 

Geology   25,866      25,300      20,596       11,251 

Astronomy    24,690      21,595       13,507        7,216 


1915 

1,291,187 

724,018 

718,075 

664,478 

636,016 

503,985 

415,655 

346,064 

312,358 

297,498 

189,229 

184,426 

163,826 

137,318 

136,131 

128,343 

118,193 

113,716 

98,516 

93,022 

89,338 

85,339 

42,431 

'41,893 

35,148 

22,478 

18,521 

14,424 

10,671 

7,590 

5,767 


As  regards  the  present  status  of  Latin  the  last  column 
of  the  table  shows  that: 

1 — Next  after  English,  history  and  algebra,  which 
are  required  at  some  period  of  practically  all  pupils  in 
high  schools  and  academies,  Latin  now  has  the  largest 
enrollment  of  any  subject; 


360  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

2 — Latin  is  the  one  language,  except  English,  which 
is  most  generally  studied  in  our  high  schools  and 
academies; 

3 — Latin  is  taken  by  a  larger  number  of  pupils  than 
French,  German  and  Spanish  combined,  and  by  eighty 
per  cent  more  than  physics  and  chemistry  combined ; 

4 — Turning  to  the  other  subjects,  which  are  not  usu- 
ally required  for  entrance  to  college,  we  find  that  Latin 
is  taken  by  only  twelve  and  one-half  per  cent  fewer 
students  than  physical  geography,  physiology,  botany, 
general  biology,  zoology  and  geology  combined ;  and  by 
twelve  and  one-half  per  cent  more  than  domestic  econ- 
omy, manual  training,  agriculture,  bookkeeping  and 
"industrial" — the  "practical"  subjects — combined. 

The  general  availability  of  Latin,  therefore,  for  the 
young  men  and  women  in  the  secondary  schools  who 
care  to  study  it  is  not  open  to  question.  Every  public 
high  school  and  academy  in  the  country,  practically 
without  exception,  offers  instruction  in  it;  and  accord- 
ing to  the  general  testimony  of  the  school  examiners  who 
are  sent  out  by  the  large  universities  to  pass  upon  the 
quality  of  instruction  given  in  the  several  subjects  ac- 
cepted for  admission  to  college,  Latin  and  mathematics 
are  the  two  subjects  in  which  the  instruction  is  most 
likely  to  be  found  satisfactory.  The  country  has  for 
generations  been  well  supplied  by  the  colleges  and  uni- 
versities with  capable  teachers  of  Latin. 

The  growth  of  Latin  in  the  secondary  schools  is 
also  shown  in  the  following  table  of  percentages  (Re- 
port of  Commissioner,  p.  489).  The  percentages  give 
the  relation  of  the  enrollment  in  each  subject  to  the  total 
enrollment : 


STATISTICS 


361 


1890 

1895 

1900 

1905 

1910 

1915 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

Per  cent 

of  total 

of  total 

of  total 

of  total 

of  total 

of  total 

English  literature. 

41.19 

48.14 

57.05 

56.07 

Rhetoric    

31.31 

37.70 

47.30 

56.59 

55.61 

History    

.  27.83 

34.65 

37.80 

40.50 

55.67 

51.46 

Algebra    

.  '42.77 

53.40 

55.08 

56.43 

56.92 

49.26 

Latin    

.   33.62 

43.76 

49.97 

49.69 

49.59 

39.03 

Vocal  music  

32.19 

Geometry    

.  20.07 

24.51 

26.75 

27.84 

30.87 

26.80 

German    

.   11.48 

12.58 

15.06 

20.34 

23.60 

24.19 

Drawing    

23.04 

Physical   geograph; 

7  

22.'44 

22.88 

21.05 

19.14 

14.66 

Physics    

.  21.36 

22.15 

18.88 

15.66 

14.79 

14.28 

Domestic  economy 

4.14 

12.69 

Manual  training.  . 

10.6-4 

French  

.     9.41 

9.77 

10.43 

11.40 

11.70 

10.54 

Physiology    

28.03 

26.96 

21.84 

15.76 

9.9-4 

Botany  

16.34 

9.15 

Civil    government. 

21.09 

17.85 

15.99 

8.81 

Chemistry   

.     9.62 

9.31 

8.00 

7.04 

7.13 

7.63 

Civics    

7.20 

Agriculture    

4.55 

6.92 

General  biology... 

6.61 

Bookkeeping    

3.29 

Zoology    

7.88 

3.24 

Spanish    

.65 

2.73 

Trigonometry  .... 

3.25 

2.42 

2.19 

2.18 

1.74 

Psychology   

3.35 

3.19 

1.84 

1.35 

1/43 

Industrial    

1.12 

Greek   

.     4.32 

4.73 

3.95 

2.18 

1.31 

.83 

Geology   

5.52 

4.02 

2.62 

1.38 

.59 

Astronomy    

5.27 

3.43 

1.71 

.88 

.45 

It  will  be  noted  that  between  the  years  1890  and  1905 
the  Latin  enrollment  increased  at  an  astonishing  rate, 
not  only  absolutely  but  relatively,  the  percentage  of  all 
secondary  pupils  studying  it  rising  almost  steadily  from 
33.62  in  1890  to  49.69  in  1905,  or  a  gain  of  16.07  per 
cent.  No  other  subject  made  an  equal  gain  in  this 
period,  algebra  gaining  13.66  per  cent,  history  12.67, 


862  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

German  8.86,  geometry  7.77  and  French  1.99,  whereas 
physics  lost  5.70  per  cent,  chemistry  2.58  and  Greek 
2.14.  The  period  1905-1915  on  the  other  hand  was 
characterized  by  the  introduction  of  new  subjects  into 
the  curriculum.  In  these  the  enrollment  was  neces- 
sarily at  the  expense  of  the  older  subjects.  Rhetoric  and 
English  literature,  which  had  first  appeared  in  the  Re- 
ports in  1895  and  1900  respectively,  claimed  in  1915 
55.61  and  56.07  per  cent  of  the  total  enrollment,  and  the 
subjects  introduced  between  1905  and  1915,  taken  as  a 
whole,  succeeded  by  1915  in  controlling  almost  one- 
fourth  of  the  total  amount  of  attendance  in  the  second- 
ary school  studies.  A  glance  at  the  table  of  percentages 
will  show  the  entire  list.  They  are  vocal  music,  drawing, 
domestic  economy,  manual  training,  botany,  civics,  agri- 
culture, general  biology,  bookkeeping,  zoology,  Spanish 
and  "industrial" — the  last  a  term  both  vague  and 
obvious.  Only  three  of  the  older  subjects  gained  in 
this  period,  namely  history  (10.96  per  cent),  German 
(3.85)  and  chemistry  (0.59),  all  the  rest  losing:  Latin 
10.66  per  cent,  algebra  7.17,  physics  1.38,  Greek  1.35, 
geometry  1.04  and  French  0.86.  Even  so,  Latin  re- 
tains the  first  place  among  all  the  subjects  not  required 
of  practically  all  students  in  secondary  schools. 

The  high  enrollment  maintained  by  such  subjects  as 
Latin  and  mathematics,  probably  the  most  difficult  in 
the  high  school  curriculum,  in  the  face  of  the  increasing 
competition  of  new  subjects,  many  of  which  are  of  a 
vocational  character,  gives  evidence  of  a  widespread  and 
powerful  belief  in  their  efficacy  in  modern  education. 
Theirs  is  clearly  the  strength,  not  of  tradition  merely, 
but  of  proved  worth.  Tradition,  for  example,  has  un- 
fortunately not  protected  Greek,  whose  practical  uses 


STATISTICS  363 

and  relation  to  western  civilization  are  not  so  immedi- 
ately obvious  to  the  ordinary  man  as  these  values  of 
Latin  are. 

In  this  general  connection,  moreover,  an  interesting 
investigation  made  in  1915  by  Dr.  Harris  Hancock, 
professor  of  mathematics  in  the  University  of  Cincin- 
nati, may  be  cited  as  showing  how  enlightened  opinion 
stands,  as  regards  the  desirability  not  only  of  keeping 
classics  and  mathematics  in  the  high  school  curriculum, 
but  of  requiring  their  study  of  all  high  school  pupils. 

Professor  Hancock  addressed  a  letter  of  inquiry  to 
representative  business  men,  clergymen,  lawyers,  physi- 
cians and  other  leading  men  in  Cincinnati.  Of  the  re- 
plies received  seven  favored  a  high  school  course  of 
study  with  mathematics  and  classics  optional,  thirty- 
four  favored  a  course  with  mathematics  required  and 
classics  optional,  none  favored  a  course  with  classics  re- 
quired and  mathematics  optional,  while  fifty-three  (a 
clear  majority)  favored  a  course  in  which  both  classics 
and  mathematics  are  required. 

He  addressed  the  same  inquiry  to  a  similar  list  of 
representative  men  in  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore,  Washington,  Richmond,  Atlanta,  Cleve- 
land, Chicago,  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco  and  other 
cities.  Of  the  replies  received  five  favored  a  high  school 
course  of  study  with  mathematics  and  classics  optional, 
twenty-five  favored  a  course  with  mathematics  required 
and  classics  optional,  two  favored  a  course  with  classics 
required  and  mathematics  optional,  while  fifty-six  (a 
large  majority)  favored  a  course  in  which  both  mathe- 
matics and  classics  are  required. 

The  combined  result  is  as  follows: 


364  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

Four  Plans: 

Classics   and   Mathematics  Cincinnati      Other  Cities      Totals 

1.  Both  optional  7                     5                    12 

2.  Classics  optional  34                   25                   59 

3.  Mathematics  optional  OSS 

4.  Both  required  53                   56                  109 

94  88  182 

The  general  agreement  in  the  ratios  of  opinion  on 
the  four  plans  in  Cincinnati  and  the  other  cities  is  strik- 
ing and  is  indicative  of  a  strong  trend  of  opinion  among 
influential  practical  men  in  favor  of  requiring  both 
classics  and  mathematics  in  our  secondary  education. 

Professor  Hancock's  article  is  published  in  School 
and  Society,  June  19,  1915. 

II.  Record  of  Classical  Students  in  College  Entrance 
Examinations 

Dr.  Abraham  Flexner,  in  his  pamphlet  entitled  "A 
Modern  School"  (1916),  makes  a  categorical  arraign- 
ment of  both  the  teaching  of  Latin  and  the  study  of 
Latin  itself.  In  order  to  prove  that  classical  teachers 
fail  to  teach  Latin  well,  he  cites  some  figures  selected 
from  the  Report  for  1915  of  the  College  Entrance  Ex- 
amination Board.  Regarding  the  statistical  methods 
employed  by  Dr.  Flexner  in  the  attempt  to  make  out 
his  case,  reference  will  be  made  later  on  to  refutations 
published  by  Dr.  Charles  H.  Forbes  of  Phillips  And- 
over  Academy  and  Dr.  W.  V.  McDuffee,  President  of 
the  Massachusetts  State  Teachers'  Association;  and  a 
statement  will  be  quoted  of  a  professor  of  economics  and 
statistics,  Dr.  Walter  M.  Adriance  of  Princeton  Uni- 
versity. But  first  there  should  be  cited  a  positive  state- 


STATISTICS  365 

ment  of  extraordinary  educational  value  and  of  unim- 
peachable authority. 

The  tests  of  the  College  Entrance  Examination 
Board  do  indeed  afford  a  basis,  strangely  overlooked  by 
Dr.  Flexner,  for  the  comparison  of  the  classical1  and 
the  non-classical  candidates  who  take  the  Board's  pa- 
pers. Whether  or  not  the  results  of  such  a  comparison 
warrant  deductions  as  to  the  quality  of  the  instruction 
received  by  the  two  sets  of  candidates  need  not  concern 
us  here,  since  the  classically  trained  candidates  make  the 
better  showing.  It  clearly  appears  from  a  special  in- 
vestigation made  for  the  Princeton  Conference  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Board  that  the  training  which  the  clas- 
sical students  have  received,  whether  because  of  the  sub- 
ject, the  teaching,  the  inherent  ability  of  the  candidates 
who  elect  the  classics  in  the  schools,  or  all  three  com- 
bined, has  somehow  enabled  them  to  sustain  the  exami- 
nation tests  of  the  Board  with  notably  greater  success 
than  those  who  lack  this  particular  training. 

The  Secretary  of  the  College  Entrance  Examination 
Board  has  tabulated  the  comparative  records  of  the 
classical  and  the  non-classical  students  who  took  the  ex- 
aminations of  the  Board  in  the  three  years  1914,  1915 
and  1916.  There  were  21,103  candidates,  and  they 
took  52,145  examinations.  The  following  facts,  ex- 
pressed in  percentages,  are  based  upon  the  results  of 
the  examinations  in  all  subjects  except  Greek  and 
Latin: 

i  The  term  "classical"  as  here  used  means  candidates  who  offered  Latin 
or  Greek  or  both,  "non-classical"  those  who  offered  neither  Latin  nor 
Greek. 


366  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

A.  COMBINED  RATINGS  IN  ALL  THE  NON- 
CLASSICAL  SUBJECTS 

Candidates  who  obtained  a  rating  of  90  to  100 
2.95  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  candidates 
2.05  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  candidates 
The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of  44  per  cent. 

Candidates  who  obtained  a  rating  of  75  to  89 
17.31  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  candidates 
12.31  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  candidates 
The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of  about  40 

per  cent. 

Candidates  who  obtained  a  rating  of  60  to  100 

51.96  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  candidates 

40.97  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  candidates 
The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of  about  27 

per  cent. 

B.  RATINGS  IN  THE  INDIVIDUAL  NON-CLASSICAL 
SUBJECTS 

In  all  but  one  of  these  subjects  taken  by  any  large 
number  of  candidates,  the  classical  students  show  a 
marked  superiority  over  the  non-classical.  This  is  es- 
pecially true  in  the  case  of  the  high  ratings,  the  pro- 
portion of  classical  students  attaining  them  being 
noticeably  larger.  The  single  exception  is  physics,  in 
which  about  one  per  cent  more  of  the  non-classical  can- 
didates than  of  the  classical  candidates  passed  the  ex- 
aminations. But  the  classical  group  excelled  the  others 
in  the  higher  grades  even  in  physics,  the  rating  of  90 
to  100  having  been  obtained  by  7.64  per  cent  of  the 
classical  candidates  and  by  6.79  per  cent  of  the  non- 
classical. 

In  English  the  classical  candidates  had  an  advantage, 


STATISTICS  367 

ranging  from  235  per  cent  in  the  highest  rating  (90  to 
100)  to  58  per  cent  in  the  passing  grade  (i.e.,  53  per 
cent  of  the  classical  candidates  passed  as  against  83.5 
per  cent  of  the  non-classical) . 

In  history  the  classical  candidates  surpassed  the  non- 
classical  in  all  three  ratings,  their  superiority  being 
107.5  per  cent  in  the  highest  rating,  84.4  per  cent  in  the 
next,  and  29.4  per  cent  in  the  record  of  those  who 
passed. 

In  mathematics  the  classical  candidates  were  more 
successful  in  all  ratings,  especially  in  the  rating  90  to 
100,  where  they  showed  a  superiority  of  59  per  cent 
(4.47  per  cent,  as  compared  with  2.81). 

In  physics,  as  already  noted,  the  classical  students 
were  slightly  behind  the  non-classical,  the  inferiority  in 
the  passing  grade  being  2.5  per  cent  (52.73  per  cent  as 
compared  with  54.06) .  In  chemistry,  on  the  other  hand, 
their  superiority  was  12  per  cent  (51.94  per  cent  as  com- 
pared with  46.37)  in  the  case  of  those  who  passed  the 
examinations. 

In  French  and  German  the  classical  candidates  were 
decidedly  ahead  in  all  grades  for  both  subjects,  their 
superiority  in  the  highest  grade  being  39  per  cent  for 
French  and  125  per  cent  for  German. 

The  number  of  candidates  in  the  other  subjects  is  too 
small  to  yield  percentages  of  any  significance.  For  ex- 
ample, civil  government  was  taken  by  65  candidates, 
zoology  by  58,  drawing  by  224,  music  by  36,  biology  by 
235,  botany  by  111,  Spanish  by  146  and  geography  by 
160.  But  it  may  be  noted  that  the  non-classical  stu- 
dents excelled  somewhat  in  civil  government,  zoology 
and  drawing,  while  the  classical  candidates  who  ob- 
tained the  rating  of  90  to  100  in  drawing  were  more 
numerous;  and  that  in  music,  biology,  botany,  Spanish 
and  geography  the  classical  candidates  again  excelled. 


368  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

In  a  pamphlet  entitled  "The  Sham  Argument  against 
Latin"  (1917)  Professor  Charles  H.  Forbes,  of  Phil- 
lips Andover  Academy,  after  quoting  Dr.  Abraham 
Flexner's  paragraph  (introduced  below,  p.  375,  in  the 
letter  of  Professor  Adriance)  which  is  designed  to  prove 
the  failure  of  the  current  teaching  of  Latin,  makes  the 
following  rejoinder: 

"In  1915  the  Board  set  12  different  examinations  in 
Latin.  Amongst  these  was  Latin  C,  an  examination  in 
Cicero  given  in  that  year  for  the  last  time.  Only  64 
candidates,  of  whom  34  were  recommended  by  their 
teachers,  tried  the  examination,  because  it  was  obsolete. 
76.6  per  cent  of  these  64  did  fail  to  get  60  per  cent.  The 
main  examination,  however,  as  nobody  could  fail  to 
know,  with  the  report  before  his  eyes,  was  Latin  4, 
Cicero  and  sight,  a  more  severe  test  of  Latin  knowledge. 
This  examination  was  taken  by  1,210  candidates,  of 
whom  53.1  per  cent  failed  to  get  60  per  cent.  This  was 
a  bad  showing,  of  course,  but  it  is  22.5  per  cent  better 
than  the  trivial  examination  of  64  students  which  he 
[Dr.  Flexner]  chose  as  representative.  .  .  . 

"In  the  figures  for  Virgil  he  has  exercised  the  same 
skill  in  the  manipulation  of  statistics,  for  he  chose  Latin 
D,  another  course  then  given  for  the  last  time,  and 
which  only  64  students  took.  75  per  cent  of  these  did 
fail  to  get  a  grade  of  60  per  cent.  But  the  real  test, 
Latin  5,  Virgil  and  sight,  was  taken  by  776  candidates, 
of  whom  38.9  per  cent  failed  to  get  a  grade  of  60  per 
cent.  This  is  36.1  per  cent  better  than  the  Virgil  which 
he  chose  for  illuminating  purposes.  Of  these  two 
craftily  selected  examinations  out  of  a  total  of  12  in 
Latin,  he  proceeded  to  generalize  upon  the  subject  of 
Latin  as  an  egregious  failure. 


STATISTICS  369 

"I  submit  that  any  fair  judgment  of  the  statistics  of 
Latin  must  premise  the  inclusion  of  its  12  parts  in  those 
statistics.  Now  the  general  average  of  the  5979  Latin 
examinations  reveals  the  fact  that  just  41  per  cent  of 
the  candidates  failed  to  secure  a  grade  of  60  per  cent. 
This  is  not  76.6  per  cent  by  a  long  shot.  The  general 
average  of  recommended  students  was  31.6  per  cent. 
These  appear  to  be  formidable  losses,  and  are  in  part 
properly  chargeable  to  poor  teaching,  but  when  we  com- 
pare this  41  per  cent  failure  with  the  results  in  other 
subjects  of  the  Board  examinations,  we  discover  that, 
in  a  total  list  of  16  subjects,  Latin  stands  seventh  in  ex- 
cellence. Latin  had  5979  papers.  Three  of  those  sub- 
jects which  stood  higher  than  Latin  were  zoology  with 
just  15  papers,  botany  with  17  and  biology  with  16.  I 
submit  that  these  numbers  are  too  trivial  to  allow  of  any 
comparative  judgment  with  a  subject  involving  almost 
6,000  examinations.  Eliminating  them,  we  find  that 
Latin  stands  fourth  in  the  list  of  considerable  subjects 
for  which  a  reasonable  basis  of  judgment  is  at  hand. 
But  on  any  basis,  if  Latin  is  despicable,  what  must  we 
say  of  German,  chemistry,  drawing,  music,  mathe- 
matics, English,  Spanish,  geography  and  history,  all  of 
which  are  below  it?  Latin  stands  fifth  on  the  entire  list 
of  recommended  students.  .  .  . 

"Dr.  Flexner  shrewdly  refrains  from  mentioning 
Greek;  it  is  so  hopelessly  dead,  as  people  think.  But 
here  again  let  us  examine  the  facts.  There  were  738 
papers  in  Greek  subjects.  We  may  get  an  illuminating 
view  of  the  popularity  of  some  subjects  by  observing 
that  the  total  number  of  candidates  in  biology,  botany, 
geology,  zoology,  drawing  and  music  all  together  was 
168,  or  2  less  than  the  number  that  took  Xenophon 


370  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

alone  in  Greek!  Poor  old  Greek  need  not  yet  hide  its 
comely  form  in  a  winding  sheet.  In  general  average 
Greek,  with  738  examinations,  stood  second  on  the  list 
of  16  subjects  with  a  record  of  23.9  per  cent  of  failures 
to  secure  a  grade  of  60  per  cent.  Zoology,  with  only  15 
candidates,  is  hardly  entitled  to  its  position  as  first.  In 
the  total  list  of  51  examinations  given  by  the  Board  it  is 
instructive  to  notice  that  Greek  G  is  first,  Greek  CH  is 
second,  Greek  A2  is  third  and  Greek  C  is  fourth." 

At  the  end  of  his  pamphlet  Dr.  Forbes  gives  tables, 
prepared  by  himself,  showing  the  results  of  the  Col- 
lege Entrance  Board  examinations  in  1915  and  1916, 
in  which  the  subjects  of  the  several  papers  are  arranged 
in  the  order  of  the  success  of  the  candidate  in  dealing 
with  them.  The  last  two  tables  give  the  combined  re- 
sults in  all  the  papers  set  in  each  department  of  study, 
i.e.  all  the  Latin  papers  (12  in  1915,  8  in  1916)  are 
combined  under  the  title  "Latin,"  etc.  These  tables 
present  so  clearly  the  actual  facts,  and  make  Dr.  Flex- 
ner's  methods  in  deducing  his  sweeping  conclusions  so 
patent,  that  they  are  here  reproduced  in  full: 

RESULTS  OF  THE  C.  E.  E.  B.  EXAMINATIONS 

Prepared  by  C.  H.  Forbes 


1915— All  Candidates 

Percentage  of  failures  to  secure  60  per  cent,  in  order 
of  superiority 

Per  cent 
Candidates  of 

failures 
1  Greek  G,  Sight  Prose 109     ..          11.1 


2  Greek  CH,  Iliad  and  Sight 55 

3  Greek  A3,  El.  Comp 165 

'4  Greek  C,  Iliad  I-III 45 

5  Zoology 15 


14.5 
17 
17.8 
20 


STATISTICS  371 

6  Latin  I,  Grammar 1098  .     .     .  31.3 

7  Greek  B,  Xenophon 170  ...  31.2 

8  Greek  Al,  Grammar 143  ...  32.2 

9  Latin  2,  El.  Comp 779  ...  32.7 

10  Math.  E.,  Trig 46  ...  32.7 

11  Music  B,  Harmony 6  ...  33.4 

12  Latin  3,  Second  Year     , .  . , 971  ...  34.1 

13  French  B 839  ...  34.5 

14  Botany 17  ...  35.3 

15  German 1307  ...  37 

16  Biology 16  ...  37.5 

17  Latin  5,  Virgil  and  Sight 776  ...  38.9 

18  French  A 1441  ...  40.1 

19  Physics T48  .     .     .  40.7 

20  Math.  C,  PL  Geometry 1936  .     .     .  42.4 

21  Greek  F,  Comp 51  ...  43.1 

22  English  B,  Study  and  Prac 696  ...  44.9 

23  Math.  F,  PL  Trig 411  ...  45.3 

24  Latin  6,  Adv.  Comp 730  ...  46.2 

25  Latin  P,  Adv.  Sight  Prose 39  ...  46.2 

26  Latin  M,  El.  Sight  Prose 15  ...  '46.7 

27  Chemistry 550  ...  47.5 

28  Drawing 71  ...  47.9 

29  German  B 623  ...  49 

30  Latin  B,  Caesar 212  ...  49.6 

31  French  BC 82  ...  51.2 

32  English  1,  Grammar 1734  .      .     .  52.5 

33  Latin  4,  Cicero  and  Sight 1210  .     .     .  53.1 

34  Math.  B,  Adv.  Alg 241  ...  54 

35  Math.  Al,  to  Quadratics 805  ...  55.4 

36  Math.  D,  Solid  Geom.      . 551  ...  56.3 

37  Math.  A,  El.  Alg 1880  .     .     .  56.4 

38  Music  D,  Pianoforte,  etc 7  ...  57.1 

39  Spanish 30  ...  60 

40  Music  A,  Appreciation 5  ...  60 

41  History  B,  Med.  &  Mod 58  ...  63.8 

42  Geography 31  ...  64.5 

43  History  C,  English 288  ...  65.3 

44  History  A,  Ancient 930  .     .     .  66.7 

45  Latin  Q,  Sight  Poetry 21  ...  66.7 

46  Math.  A3,  Quad,  and  Beyond 674  ...  69.7 

47  German   BC 86  70.9 


372  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

48  History  D,  American 690  ...  72.1 

49  English    3,    Literature 959  ...  73.7 

50  Latin  D,  Aeneid  I-VI 64  ...  75 

51  Latin  C,  Cicero 64  ...  76.6 


1916— All  Candidates 

Percentage  of  failures  to  secure  60  per  cent  in  subjects, 
arranged  in  order  of  superiority 

Per  cent 
Candidates           of 

Failures 

1  Greek  G,  Sight  Prose 24  ...  12.5 

2  Greek  BG,  Xen.  and  Sight 255  ...  23.9 

3  Latin  5,  Virgil  and  Sight 1696  ...  24.8 

4  French   A 2872  .     .     .  25.0 

5  Greek  CH,  Homer  and  Sight 134  ...  25.4 

6  French   B 1624  .     .     .  26.8 

7  Botany 72  ...  29.2 

8  Latin  3,  Second  Year 2115  .      .     .  31.5 

9  Latin  2,  El.  Comp 1614  .     .     .  35.2 

10  Zoology 16  ...  37.5 

11  Math.  E.,  Trig 107  ...  39.2 

12  Greek  B,  Xen 58  ...  39.7 

13  Greek  C,  Homer 92  ...  '41.3 

14  Latin   1,  Grammar 1722  .     .     .  41.9 

15  Latin  4,  Cicero  and  Sight 2490  .     .     .  42.7 

16  Latin  6,  Ady.  Comp 1281  .     .     .  43.7 

17  Math.  F,  Plane  Trig 876  .     .     .  44.2 

18  German  A 2546  .     .      .  '44.7 

19  Math.  Al,  Alg.  to  Quad 1219  ...  48.5 

20  Geography 84  ...  50 

21  Physics 1631  .     .     .  51.2 

22  Greek  F,  Prose  Comp 41  ...  51.2 

23  Biology 207  ...  51.7 

24  Greek  A2,    El.    Comp 307  ...  52.2 

25  German   BC 104  ...  52.9 

26  Math.  A2,  Quad,  and  Beyond 897  ...  53.9 

27  French  BC 106  ...  55.7 

28  English    2 3199  .     .     .  56.8 

29  Drawing   (Free) 93  ...  57 


STATISTICS  373 

SO  Chemistry 1313  .     .     .  57.7 

31  English  1,  Grammar 4163  .     .     .  59.3 

32  German  B 1133  .     .     .  59.4 

33  Math.  A,  El.  Alg 3179  .     .     .  61.8 

3-4  Math.  B,  Adv.  Alg 547  ...  61.8 

35  Math.  C,  Plane  Geom 3775  ...  63 

36  Greek  Al,  Grammar 271  ...  62 

37  History  A,  Ancient 2173  .     .     .  63.3 

38  Latin  Q,  Sight  Poetry 42  ...  66.7 

39  Drawing   (Mech.) 153  ...  72.5 

40  Math.  D,  Solid  Geom 1153  .     .     .  73.9 

41  History  C,  English 722  ...  76.5 

42  Spanish 92  ...  77.2 

43  History  B,  Med.  and  Mod 150  ...  77.3 

44  History    D,    American 1451  ...  79 

'45  Civil  Gov't 65  ...  83.1 

46  Latin  P,  Sight  Prose 40  ...  87.5 


1915 — All  Candidates 

Percentage  of  all  candidates  in  each  department 
failing  to  secure  60  per  cent 

Per  cent 
Candidates  of 

Failures 

1  Zoology 15     ...  20 

2  Greek 738     ...  23.9 

3  Botany 17     ...  35.3 

4  Biology .'"..'. 16     ...  37.5 

5  French 2362     .     .     .  38.5 

6  Physics 748     ...  40.7 

7  Lathi        5979     ...  41 

8  German 2016     .     .     .  42.1 

9  Chemistry 550     ...  47.5 

10  Drawing 71     ...  '47.9 

11  Music 18     ...  50 

12  Mathematics 6044     .     .      .  52.3 

13  English 3389     .     .     .  56.9 

14  Spanish 30     ...  60 

15  Geography 31     ...  64.5 

16  History 1966     .     .     .  68.2 


374  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

1916— All  Candidates 

Percentage  of  all  candidates  in  each  department 
failing  to  secure  60  per  cent 

Per  cent 
Candidates           of 

Failures 

1  French 4602  .  .  26.3 

2  Botany 72  .  .  29.2 

3  Latin         11000  .  .  36.9 

4  Zoology 16  .  .  37.5 

5  Greek        1182  .  .  43 

6  Music        19  .  .  47.3 

7  German 3783  .  .  49.4 

8  Geography 84  .  .  50 

9  Physics 1631  .  .  50.2 

10  Biology 207  .  .  51.7 

11  Chemistry 1313  .  .  57.7 

12  English 7282  .  .  58.3 

13  Mathematics 11752  .  .  59.5 

14  Drawing 246  .  .  66.6 

15  History 4496  .  .  70.9 

16  Spanish 92  .  .  77.2 

17  Civil  Gov't.  65  83.1 


Since  Dr.  Abraham  Flexner  directed  his  attack  not 
only  against  the  study  of  Greek  and  Latin  but  also 
against  the  current  teaching  of  the  classics,  and  since 
classical  teachers,  being  under  indictment,  might  be 
supposed  to  be  prejudiced  witnesses,  even  in  dealing 
with  published  statistics,  Dean  West  requested  a  spe- 
cialist in  statistics,  Professor  Adriance  of  Princeton,  to 
give  a  professional  opinion  upon  the  statistical  portion 
of  Dr.  Flexner's  argument.  This  opinion  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Pamphlet  of  the  Conference  under  the  title 
of  "Misleading  Statistics,"  and  is  here  reproduced: 


STATISTICS  375 

May  28,  1917. 
DEAN  ANDREW  F.  WEST, 
Dear  Sir: 

At  your  request  I  have  read  Dr.  Abraham  Flex- 
ner's  paper  "A  Modern  School"  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
amining his  use  of  statistics. 

Dr.  Flexner  holds  that  tradition  determines  the  pres- 
ent day  curriculum,  which  for  this  reason  fails,  as  a  sys- 
tem of  education,  to  meet  the  demands  of  modern  life. 
He  says  on  page  six  of  his  pamphlet : 

"It  is  perhaps  worth  while  stopping  long  enough 
to  show  by  figures  the  extent  to  which  our  cur- 
rent teaching  fails.  .  .  .  We  know  that  a  large 
percentage  of  the  better  students  of  these  sub- 
jects (referring  to  Latin,  algebra  and  geometry) 
try  the  College  Entrance  Examinations,  and  that 
for  these  examinations  many  receive  special  drill 
in  addition  to  the  regular  teaching.  Now  in  the 
examinations  held  by  the  College  Entrance 
Board  in  1915,  76.6  per  cent  of  the  candidates 
failed  to  make  even  a  mark  of  60  per  cent  in 
Cicero;  75  per  cent  failed  to  make  a  mark  of  60 
per  cent  in  the  first  six  books  of  Virgil,  every 
line  of  which  they  had  presumably  read  and  re- 
read; 69.7  per  cent  of  those  examined  in  algebra 
from  quadratics  on  failed  to  make  as  much  as  60 
per  cent ;  42.4  per  cent  failed  to  make  60  per  cent 
in  plane  geometry." 

Dr.  Flexner  would  have  a  "modern"  curriculum  with 
four  main  subdivisions — science,  industry,  aesthetics, 
and  civics  (p.  10).  He  says  further  (p.  18) : 

"Neither  Latin  nor  Greek  should  be  contained  in 


376  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

the  curriculum  of  the  Modern  School.  ...  A 
positive  case  can  be  made  out  for  neither.  ...  I 
have  quoted  figures  to  show  how  egregiously  we 
fail  to  teach  Latin.  These  figures  mean  that  in- 
stead of  getting  orderly  training  by  solving  diffi- 
culties in  Latin  translation  or  composition,  pupils 
guess,  fumble,  receive  surreptitious  assistance,  or 
accept  on  faith  the  injunctions  of  teacher  and 
grammar.  The  only  discipline  that  most  stu- 
dents get  from  their  classical  studies  is  a  disci- 
pline in  doing  things  as  they  should  not  be  done." 

A  comparison  of  the  passages  just  quoted  with  the 
figures  as  they  stand  in  the  Report  of  the  College  En- 
trance Examination  Board  makes  it  clear  that  the  sta- 
tistics have  been  misused  in  a  very  extraordinary  way. 
In  the  first  place  (as  was  pointed  out  by  W.  V.  Mc- 
Duffee,  President  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Teachers' 
Association,  in  the  New  York  Times  of  Feb.  5,  1917), 
Dr.  Flexner's  statement  that  "a  large  percentage  of  the 
better  students  of  Latin  try  the  College  Entrance  Board 
Examinations,"  was  probably  not  correct.  On  the  con- 
trary, those  who  took  these  examinations  were  largely 
candidates  not  well  qualified  to  pass  the  examinations 
of  particular  colleges,  or  to  obtain  certificates  for  en- 
trance to  those  colleges  which  were  in  the  habit  of  ad- 
mitting on  certificate.  Dr.  Flexner's  figures  have  to  do, 
then,  not  with  the  "better  students"  of  Latin,  as  he  con- 
tends, but  with  a  group  from  which  most  or  many  of 
the  better  students  had  been  eliminated,  either  by  hav- 
ing taken  the  examinations  of  the  particular  institutions 
they  intended  to  enter,  or  by  having  secured  admission 
to  college  on  the  certificate  plan. 


STATISTICS  377 

Dr.  McDuff ee  has  also  pointed  out  that  in  trying  to 
show  that  Latin  is  not  being  successfully  taught,  Dr. 
Flexner  did  not  take  all  the  facts  into  account,  hut  made 
an  entirely  improper  selection  from  the  data  at  hand. 
The  figures  (concerning  Latin  .subjects)  which  Dr. 
Flexner  had  before  him  are  here  reproduced.  They  are 
found  in  the  fifteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  College  Entrance  Examination  Board,  1915, 
page  50. 

Latin  No.  of  Percentage 

Candidates  making  60 
or  above 

1  Grammar    1098  68.8 

2  Elementary  Composition 779  67.3 

3  Second  Year   971  65.9 

4  Cicero  and  Sight  1210  46.9 

5  Virgil  and  Sight   776  61.1 

6  Advanced  Composition    730  53.8 

7  Caesar    212  50.4 

8  Cicero    64131  23.4 

9  Aeneid  I-VI 641§»  25.0 

10  Elementary  Sight  Prose 15  53.3 

11  Advanced  Sight  Prose 39  53.8 

12  Sight  Poetry  21  33.a 

Total   5979  59.0 

The  matters  to  be  noted  here  are  as  follows :  Of  the 
total  number  of  papers  in  Latin  (5979),  59  per  cent 
scored  60  or  above.  The  very  lowest  figures  are  for 
items  8  and  9  above,  namely  Cicero  and  the  Aeneid.  In 
these  two  subjects  there  were  only  64  candidates  (in 
each) ,  as  compared  with  1210  in  "Cicero  and  Sight"  and 
776  in  "Virgil  and  Sight."  In  the  two  together  there 
were  only  128  candidates  out  of  a  total  of  5979.  But 
these  two  subjects  are  the  ones  selected  by  Dr.  Flexner 
to  show  "how  egregiously  we  fail  to  teach  Latin." 


378  VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 

The  significant  thing  about  the  table  is  that  59  per 
cent  of  all  papers  submitted  scored  60  or  better.  And 
if  the  statistics  had  included  students  offering  Latin  for 
entrance  at  the  special  examinations  held  by  the  colleges 
as  well  as  at  the  examinations  given  by  the  Board,  there 
is  reason  to  think  the  showing  would  have  been  still  bet- 
ter. At  any  rate  it  is  clear  that  Dr.  Flexner's  figures  as 
cited  are  not  representative  of  the  facts  as  disclosed  by 
the  table. 

And  a  little  further  down  in  the  column  which  Dr. 
Flexner  had  before  him  we  find  for  Greek  the  remark- 
ably high  percentage  of  76.1.  Surely  if  we  can  infer 
from  this  column  anything  as  to  the  success  attained  in 
teaching  the  various  subjects,  we  must  conclude  that 
Greek  and  Latin  are  taught  more  successfully  than  al- 
most any  other  subject.  Dr.  Flexner,  omitting  entirely 
the  76  per  cent  for  Greek,  leaves  us  with  the  quite  er- 
roneous impression  that  about  75  per  cent  of  the  candi- 
dates in  the  classical  subjects  fail  to  score  as  high  as 
60  per  cent  in  their  examinations.  The  figures  really 
tell  a  very  different  story. 

Very  truly  yours, 

WALTER  M.  ADEIANCE, 
Assistant  Professor  of  Economics  and 

Statistics, 
Princeton  University. 

III.  Record  of  Classical  Students  in  School  and  College 

The  records  of  the  College  Entrance  Examination 
Board  have  shown  how  well  the  classically  trained  can- 
didates for  admission  to  college  sustain  the  test  of  uni- 
form examinations  in  comparison  with  those  who  have 
not  had  this  training.  The  scholarship  and  honors  rec- 


STATISTICS  379 

ords  of  those  schools  and  colleges  in  which  a  distinction 
can  be  made  between  the  classical2  and  the  non-classical 
students  ought  to  furnish  an  even  better  basis  of  com- 
parison; for  whereas  in  the  former  we  have  only  the 
single  final  test,  in  the  latter  the  comparison  rests  upon 
the  daily  performance  through  several  years  of  sus- 
tained endeavor.  Accordingly  a  special  committee  was 
assigned  the  task,  in  connection  with  the  Princeton  Con- 
ference, of  conducting  an  investigation  whose  object 
was  to  ascertain  how  the  classical  students  in  school  and 
college  succeed  in  competition  with  the  non-classical — 
whether  they  fall  behind  their  associates,  keep  even  with 
them,  or  surpass  them. 

As  the  result  of  this  investigation  it  is  possible  to  give 
here,  through  the  courtesy  of  the  officials  of  the  schools 
and  colleges  concerned,  the  combined  scholarship  and 
honors  records  of  a  considerable  number  of  representa- 

2  In  the  school  statistics  a  student  is  designated  as  "classical"  who  has 
had  the  full  course  in  Latin;  in  the  college  statistics  the  "classical"  student 
is  one  who  presented  for  admission  either  three  or  four  years  of  Latin, 
It  was  found  impracticable,  with  the  means  at  the  disposal  of  the  com- 
mittee, to  secure  the  data  for  such  college  students  as  continue  the  studjr 
of  the  classics  for  one  or  more  years,  in  comparison  with  the  others,  al- 
though it  was  realized  that  the  information  to  be  derived  from  such  data 
might  be  of  unusual  educational  value. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  schools  in  which  all  or  practically  all  pupils 
take  the  full  course  in  Latin,  or  Latin  and  Greek,  and  colleges  whose  stu- 
dents on  admission  all  offer  four  years  of  Latin  (many  of  them  Greek  as 
well)  could  not  be  taken  into  consideration  in  this  investigation,  since  they 
afford  no  basis  for  a  comparison  between  the  two  classes  of  students  con- 
cerned. Among  the  schools  which  on  this  account  are  not  considered  are: 
the  Blake  School  (Minneapolis),  the  Boston  Public  Latin  and  the  Boston 
Girls'  Latin  Schools,  the  Country  Day  School  of  Newton,  Mass.,  the  Groton 
School,  the  Hotchkiss  School,  the  Roxbury  Latin  School,  St.  Mark's  School 
and  the  Taft  School;  and  among  the  colleges:  Bryn  Mawr,  Georgetown, 
Hamilton,  Johns  Hopkins,  Mt.  Holyoke,  Princeton,  Smith,  Vassar,  Welles- 
ley,  Williams,  Yale. 


380  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

tive  schools  and  colleges.  The  committee  earnestly  de- 
sired to  obtain  the  same  information  from  a  very  much 
larger  number  of  institutions,  and  made  every  effort  to 
do  so;  but  in  many  schools  and  colleges  the  facts  re- 
quired are  not  recorded  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  available 
for  the  investigation  of  comparative  standing,  and  could 
not  be  made  available  except  by  an  intricate,  extended 
and  expensive  investigation,  for  which  neither  the  time 
nor  the  means  were  at  hand;  while  in  other  institutions 
the  recording  officials  have  been  so  overwhelmed  with 
work,  in  consequence  of  war  conditions,  that  they  have 
had  no  time  to  compile  the  statistics  requested  of  them. 
Nevertheless,  the  data  thus  far  received  from  institu- 
tions in  which  a  comparison  can  be  made  are  extensive 
enough  to  be  significant.  The  reports  cover  the  cases 
of  2799  classical  and  5606  non-classical  sudents  from 
nineteen  high  schools  and  academies,3  and  also  of  4092 
classical  and  2003  non-classical  students  from  seventeen 
colleges  and  universities.4 

sAdelphi  Academy  (Brooklyn,  N.  Y.),  Asheville  School  (Asheville,  N. 
Car.),  Blair  Academy  (Blairstown,  N.  J.),  Central  High  School  (St. 
Louis),  Deering  High  School  (Portland,  Me.),  Episcopal  Academy  (Phil- 
adelphia), Oilman  Country  School  (Baltimore),  Haverford  School,  the 
Hill  School,  Montclair  High  School,  Newark  Academy,  New  Haven  High 
School,  Nichols  School  (Buffalo),  Norwich  Free  Academy,  Pawling  School 
(Pawling,  N.  Y.),  Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  St.  Paul's  School  (Concord, 
N.  H.),  Shortridge  High  School  (Indianapolis),  the  University  High 
School  (Chicago). 

Certain  data  were  received  from  Peddie  Institute  and  the  Hughes  High 
School  (Cincinnati),  but  they  could  not  be  presented  in  the  same  form 
with  the  others. 

*Bowdoin,  Clark,  Columbia  (the  College),  Haverford,  Hobart,  Illinois 
College,  Kenyon,  Knox,  Lafayette,  Pomona,  Reed,  Rutgers,  Stanford, 
University  of  Colorado,  University  of  Nebraska,  University  of  Vermont, 
Washington  and  Lee. 

Statistics  received  from  Dartmouth,  Davidson,  Harvard,  Washington  and 
Jefferson,  Washington  University  (St.  Louis),  and  Wesleyan  (Connecticut) 


STATISTICS  381 

A.  High  Schools  and  Academies 

The  combined  data  from  the  nineteen  high  schools 
tnd  academies  reporting  yield  the  following  results: 

Students  receiving  High  Honors  at  Graduation 
were  18  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

7.2  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:    The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 
150  per  cent. 

Students  receiving  Honors  at  Graduation 
were  32.1  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

30.8  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:    The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 
36.7  per  cent. 

Students  receiving  Honors  or  Prizes  for  Debating, 
Speaking  or  Essay-writing 
were    8.8  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

3.5  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:    The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 
150  per  cent. 

The  reports  from  all  schools,  including  a  good  many 
whose  data  have  not  been  embodied  in  the  above  com- 
bined statistics  of  the  nineteen  schools,  are  unanimous 
in  showing  the  superiority  of  the  classical  students.  In 
a  few  reports,  in  a  very  few  individual  items,  the  result 
was  unfavorable  to  the  classical  students,  but  no  insti- 
tution made  a  report  which  on  the  whole  was  anything 
but  distinctly  favorable. 

could  not  be  adapted  to  our  form.  Fragmentary  data  were  also  received 
from  Colgate,  Dickinson,  Grinnell,  Marietta,  Rochester,  Union,  and  Wil- 
liam and  Mary.  The  many  colleges  which  require  Latin  for  all  degrees 
in  liberal  studies  are,  of  course,  omitted. 


382  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

B.  Colleges 

The  combined  data  from  the  seventeen  colleges  and 
universities  reporting  yield  the  following  results : 

Students  receiving  High  Honors  at  Graduation 
were  17.3  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

6.6  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:     The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 

162  per  cent. 

Students  receiving  Honors  at  Graduation 
were  46.5  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

38.5  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:     The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 

20.7  per  cent. 

Students  elected  to  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
were  16.8  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

8.9  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:     The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 

88.8  per  cent. 

Students  winning  Prizes  or  Honors  for  Scholarship 
in  Other  than  Classical  Subjects 
were  13.5  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

9.3  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:    The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 

45.2  per  cent. 

Students  serving  on  the  Editorial  Boards  of  Student 
Newspapers  and  Magazines 
were  15.1  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

9.2  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:     The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 

64.1  per  cent. 

Students  acting  as  Members  of  Intercollegiate  De- 
bating Teams 


STATISTICS  383 

were    5.1  per  cent  of  all  the  classical  students,  but  only 

3.2  per  cent  of  all  the  non-classical  students. 
That  is:    The  classical  students  show  a  superiority  of 
59.4  per  cent. 

In  the  case  of  the  colleges,  as  of  the  schools,  the  re- 
ports received  from  all  the  institutions,  including  many 
(see  p.  380,  notes  3  and  4)  which  are  not  represented  in 
the  combined  table,  agree  in  attributing  a  general  superi- 
ority to  the  classical  students.  There  are  no  exceptions 
among  them.* 

The  statistics  which  have  been  presented  deserve 
careful  study.  They  represent  a  wide  range  of  educa- 
tional experience  under  varied  social  conditions,  and 
may  fairly  be  considered  as  typical  of  the  situation 
throughout  the  country  in  institutions  in  which  there 
are  two  classes  of  students,  not  too  unequal  in  numbers, 
which  are  clearly  differentiated  from  each  other  by  the 
character  of  the  scholastic  training  they  have  received. 
They  cover  the  cases  of  29,508  pupils  in  the  secondary 
schools,  the  majority  of  whom  have  either  completed  a 
four-year  course  or  are  well  advanced  in  it,  and  of  6,095 
college  students  who  have  completed  the  work  for  the 
Bachelor's  degree.  The  candidates  examined  by  the 
College  Entrance  Examination  Board  were  prepared 
for  college  in  public  and  private  schools  in  all  parts  of 
the  United  States.  The  schools  and  colleges  are  con- 
fined to  no  one  section  of  the  country,  although  the 
southern  states  are  meagerly  represented. 

The  figures  tell  the  same  story  with  amazing  uni- 

6  The  superiority  of  non-classical  students  in  winning  college  prizes 
in  mathematics  and  science  is  the  only  instance  where  the  classical  students 
do  not  come  out  ahead.  In  spite  of  this  particular  instance,  the  marked 
general  superiority  of  the  classical  students  in  every  reporting  college 
remains  conclusively  established. 


384  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

formity,  no  matter  what  kind  of  intellectual  test  is  ap- 
plied: the  classically  trained  students  outrank  their  as- 
sociates, win  more  honors  and  prizes  and  in  general 
furnish  the  intellectual  leaders  in  their  several  institu- 
tions. The  difference  is  not  slight  or  insignificant — it 
is  in  most  cases  overwhelming.  And  it  is  not  confined 
to  those  departments  and  activities  in  which  a  linguistic 
training  might  be  expected  to  give  its  possessor  a  clear 
advantage,  as  for  example  in  writing  and  debating,  but 
is  almost  as  marked  in  the  general  subjects  of  the  col- 
lege curriculum.  Note  for  instance  that  the  average 
proportion  of  the  classical  students  in  college  who  win 
the  prizes  and  honors  in  other  than  classical  subjects  is 
nearly  one  half  larger  than  that  of  the  non-classical 
students.  And  though  the  proportion  of  this  superior- 
ity differs  in  different  institutions,  in  only  one6  of  ten 
which  reported  is  this  situation  reversed.  The  classical 
students  excel,  not  only  in  the  older  colleges  of  homo- 
geneous clientele,  like  Bowdoin,  Haverford  and  Ken- 
yon,  but  also  in  the  large  universities  of  more  recent 
origin,  such  as  Stanford  University  and  the  State  uni- 
versities of  Colorado  and  Nebraska. 

Is  it  necessary  to  interpret  facts  so  perspicuous  as 
these?  The  objector  will  doubtless  urge  that  there  are 
factors  at  work  other  than  those  which  the  defender  of 
the  classics  is  disposed  to  emphasize.  He  may  assert 
for  example  that  the  better  class  of  students  are  often 
induced  to  study  the  classics  because  of  the  greater 
prestige  of  the  Arts  degree,  for  which  Latin  and  Greek 
are  prerequisite  in  the  college  which  they  have  selected. 
There  is  little  if  any  force  to  this  argument,  however, 

« In  this  institution  37  of  3&  prizes  offered  were  in  mathematics  and 
science. 


STATISTICS  385 

as  applied  to  the  statistics  here  presented,  because  in  the 
first  place  Greek,  which  differentiates  the  Arts  degree 
from  the  other  degrees  in  a  number  of  institutions,  has 
been  left  out  of  consideration  altogether;  in  the  second 
place  those  institutions  which  require  Latin  of  all  or 
practically  all  their  students  have  been  excluded;  and 
thirdly  a  very  considerable  number  of  the  institutions 
which  have  been  included  grant  only  the  Arts  degree. 
It  may  be  urged,  again,  that  the  institutions  from  which 
these  statistics  are  drawn  emphasize  the  classical  studies. 
A  sufficient  answer  is  found  in  the  enrollment :  the  non- 
classical  students  in  the  schools  and  colleges  here  re- 
ported outnumber  the  classical  by  over  ten  per  cent. 
If  the  argument  be  advanced  that  there  are  other  im- 
portant ingredients  in  the  education  of  the  students 
here  designated  as  classical,  and  that  classical  studies 
are  therefore  not  responsible  for  the  whole  of  the  superi- 
ority indicated  in  the  figures,  the  point  will  readily  be 
conceded.  The  classical  studies  are  difficult,  and  the 
students  who  elect  to  pursue  them  are  more  than  likely 
to  be  found  taking  also  the  other  difficult  subjects  of  a 
disciplinary  character,  as  for  example  mathematics  and 
physics.  In  any  event,  the  argument  carries  with  it  the 
admission  that  the  classical  students  are,  generally 
speaking,  of  superior  mental  endowment,  and  prosecute 
the  severer  studies  with  greater  success  than  the  non- 
classical  students  who  often  pursue  the  easier  studies. 

Note  A 
To  pages  3ff4-367,  378-383 

The  publication  in  detail  of  all  the  data  upon  which  these  statistical 
summaries  are  based,  though  desirable,  proved  to  be  too  elaborate  for 
the  limits  of  this  book.  The  results  as  given  have,  however,  been  verified 
with  the  utmost  care,  and  are  thoroughly  reliable.  The  original  returns 
from  the  College  Entrance  Examination  Board  and  the  various  institutions, 


886  VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 

and   the   correspondence   connected   therewith,   are   on   file,   and   open   to 
inspection  by  any  responsible  statistician. 

Note  B 
To  pages  368-374 

On  pages  368-374  Professor  Forbes  has  restated  with  close  accuracy 
the  published  statistics  of  the  College  Entrance  Examination  Board  in 
terms  of  percentages  of  failures.  Only  the  following  slight  and  insignifi- 
cant errors  occur: 

Page  368,  line  19;    22.5  should  be  23.5 
"      372,    "    31;    51.2        "       "   50.2    (for   Physics) 
"      374,     "     18;     58.3        "        "    58.2 
"      369,    "    32;  "geology"  should  be  "geography" 
"      371,    "     10;  "German"      "        "   "German   A" 
"      371,    "    33;  "Music  D"     "        tt   "Music  D,  E,  F". 


V 
INDEX  OF  CONTRIBUTORS 


INDEX  OF  CONTRIBUTORS 


Lawrence  F.  Abbott,  292 
Lyman  Abbott,  292 

D.  W.  Abercrombie,  203 
George  Burton  Adams,  317 
L.  E.  Akeley,  263 
Julian  P.  Alexander,  247 
W.  J.  Alexander,  307 
American  Academy  in  Rome, 

325 

Thomas  S.  Baker,  221 
Simeon  E.  Baldwin,  228 
Lewellys  F.  Barker,  51,  250 
David  P.  Barrows,  320 
Henry  M.  Bates,  232 
Dimner  Beeber,  245 
A.  T.  Belknap,  186 
Berthelot,  353 
Charles  E.  Bessey,  284 
William  T.  Betts,  212 
Hiram   Bingham,   320 
Frederic  L.  Bishop,  260 
Hugh  Black,  223 
James  A.  Blaisdell,  190 
Edwin  H.  Blashfield,  337 
Maurice  Bloomfield,  339 

E.  H.  Bradford,  250 
Robert  Bridges,  291 
L.  B.  R.  Briggs,  294 
British  Statement,  345 
Ernest  W.  Brown,  265 
J.  Maughs  Brown,  263 
M.  G.  Brumbaugh,  149 
Rudolph  E.  Briinnow,  340 
Viscount  Bryce,  27,  41,  145 
Seaver  B.  Buck,  202 


389 


H.  G.  Buehler,  209 
Charles  A.  Buffum,  201 
George  Lincoln  Burr,  814 
M.  L.  Burton,   189 
Nicholas   Murray  Butler,  41, 

172 

Douglas  H.  Campbell,  284 
James  Cappon,  306 
George  R.  Chatburn,  260 
G.  Chinard,  311 
Champ  Clark,  147 
John  M.  Clarke,  280 
Grover  Cleveland,  139 
Lawrence   Cole,   323 
Thomas  S.  Cole,  218 
W.  W.  Comfort,  176 
Edwin  Grant  Conklin,  283 
Henry  C.  Conrad,  235 
Mortimer  E.  Cooley,  261 
Drury  W.  Cooper,  240 
Lane  Cooper,  300 
Cornell  University  Professors, 

172 

E.  L.  Corthell,  259 
Hardin  Craig,  304 
Ralph  Adams  Cram,  333 
William  H.  Crawford,  178 
William  A.  Creditt,  286 
Henry  Crew,  269 
Lord  Cromer,  146 
Arthur  H.  Cutler,  213 
Charles  W.  Dabney,  185 
Charles  L.  Dana,  255 
James  R.  Day,  172 
John  B.  Deaver,  258 


390 


VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 


Joseph  V.  Denney,  301 
Francis  A.  Dewick,  160 
John  DeWitt,  225 
H.  H.  Donaldson,  60,  283 
Lucy  Martin  Donnelly,  301 
Henry  S.  Drinker,  175,  260 

sics 

Alexander  Duane,  256 
Gano  Dunn,  259 
Richard  H.  Edmonds,  151 
Howard  Elliott,   151 
Ephraim  Emerton,  316 
John  M.  Eshleman,  149 
Arthur  Fairbanks,  328 
Sir  Robert  Alexander  Fal- 
coner, 193 

Henry  W.  Farnam,  79,  321 
W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  169 
Robert  H.  Fernald,  261 
Frank  A.  Fetter,  322 
James  B.  Forgan,  159 
Comite  des  Forges,  352 
John  W.  Foster,  143 
Charles  Edwin  Fox,  243 
George  L.  Fox,  208 
Kuno  Francke,  312 
J.  C.  Freeman,  303 
Daniel  Chester  French,  336 
French  Academy,  349 
French  Iron  Masters,  352 
French  Minister  of  Public  In- 
struction, 351 
Edwin  B.  Frost,  267 
Frederick  L.  Gamage,  215 
Harry  Augustus  Garfield,  170 
Charles  Mills  Gayley,  305 
Seth  K.  Gifford,  207 
Virginia  C.  Gildersleeve,  299 
Daniel  M.  Gordon,  193 
George  A.  Gordon,  228 
H.  Tucker  Graham,  184 
C.  H.  Grandgent,  309 


H.  S.  Graves,  286 
S.  S.  Gregory,  229 
N.  C.  Grover,  281 
Arthur  Twining  Hadley,  167 
George  Ellery  Hale,  266 
Ernest  G.  Hapgood,  197 
Fairfax  Harrison,  79,  150 
Charles  H.  Haskins,  316 
Thomas  Hastings,  83,  333 
Charles  H.  Herty,  63,  270 
John  Grier  Hibben,  37,  174 
Henry  L.  Higginson,  155 
William  C.  Hill,  206 
George  Frisbie  Hoar,  147 
Alexander  R.  Hohlfeld,  313 
W.  J.  Holland,  282 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  233 
Herbert  Hoover,  145 
Charles  M.  Hough,  234 
J.  G.  Howard,  332 
Harry  B.  Hutchins,  187 
Charles  S.  Ingham,  202 
William  Mann  Irvine,  220 
Edmund  J.  James,  187 
Morris  Jastrow,  Jr.,  341 
W.  L.  Jepson,  286 
Alba  B.  Johnson,  75,  152 
William  Carey  Jones,  232 
Louis   Kahlenberg,  278 
W.  W.  Keen,  250 
A.  G.  Keller,  324 
Clarence  H.  Kelsey,  155 
Henry  P.  Kendall,  162 
Milo  C.  Ketcham,  262 
Henry  C.  King,   185 
Willard  V.  King,  156 
H.  W.  E.  Knower,  253 
Morris  Knowles,  265 
Charles  A.  Kofoid,  283 
Henry  Kraemer,  286 
Robert  Lansing,   141 
W.  S.  Layfield,  154 


INDEX    OF    CONTRIBUTORS 


391 


E.  P.  Lewis,  269 
Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  97,  147 
James    Loeb,    158 
Edgar  Odell  Lovett,  194 
Abbott  Lawrence  Lowell,  167 
D.  O.  S.  Lowell,  199 
Samuel  W.  McCall,  148 
L.  W.  McCay,  271 
James  G.  K.  McClure,  225 
S.  S.  McClure,  163 
S.  B.  McCormick,   178 
John  H.  MacCracken,  177 
James  R.  Macfarlane,  235 
James  C.  Mackenzie,  214 
William  D.  McKenzie,  223 
Richard  C.  Maclaurin,  171 
S.  J.  McPherson,  216 
William  Francis  Magie,  73, 

268 

George  D.  Markham,  161 
Allan  Marquand,  330 
Walter  R.  Marsh,  213 
Frank  Jewett  Mather,  Jr.,  331 
Charles  H.  Mayo,  254 
W.  J.  Mayo,  254 
Alexander  Meiklejohn,  169 
Peter  W.  Meldrim,  231 
J.  T.  Mentzer,  166 
Charles  R.  Miller,  93,  287 
Edward  P.  Mitchell,  89,  287 
Paul  Elmer  More,  289 
Effingham  B.  Morris,  158 
William  A.  Morris,  319 
James  M.  Morton,  Jr.,  235 
B ernard   Moses,   319 
Roland  J.  Mulford,  210 
Charles  A.  Munn,  163 
Dana  Carleton  Munro,  318 
William  B.  Munro,  161 
James  P.  Munroe,  152 
William   F.   Murray,    162 
Alfred  Noyes,  297 


W.  A.  Noyes,  277 
Robert  Lincoln  O'Brien,  287 
George  W.  Ochs,  294 
George  D.  Olds,  170 
Henry  F  airfield  Osborn,  279 
A.  Mitchell  Palmer,  148 
Horatio  Parker,  338 
George  W.  Patterson,  262 
Endicott  Peabody,  200 
William  T.  Peck,  206 
Josiah  H.  Penniman,  175 
Henry  Pennypacker,  197 
George  Wharton  Pepper,  248 
Arthur  S.  Perkins,  162 
Lewis  Perry,  195 
Harry  A.  Peters,  222 
Sir  William  Peterson,  190 
William  Lyon  Phelps,  295 
F.  C.  Phillips,  277 
George  L.  Plimpton,  195 
Henri  Poincare,  353 
Irving  K.  Pond,  334 
William  Campbell  Posey,  258 
Roscoe  Pound,  48,  226 
Lyman  P.  Powell,  173 
T.  C.  Powell,  151 

E.  Parmalee  Prentice,  238 
George  Haven  Putnam,  164 
M.  Taylor  Pyne,  241 
George  E.  Quaile,  211 
Redesdale,   338 

Rush  Rhees,  172 
James  Ford  Rhodes,  315 
W.  K.  Richardson,  237 

F.  C.   Roberts,  264 
Edward  Robinson,  326 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  134 
Elihu  Root,  142 

J.  G.  Rosengarten,  243 
Herbert  C.  Sadler,  262 
Seymour  Van  Santvoord,  150 
Albert  Sarraut,  351 


392 


VALUE    OF   THE    CLASSICS 


Willard  Saulsbury,  147 
Felix  E.  Schelling,  299 
R.  Schevill,  311 
Mortimer  L.  Schiff,  157 
H.  K.  SchiUing,  313 
Ellis  A.  Schnabel,  219 
William  Berryman  Scott,  66, 

279 

Charles  W.  Scovel,  160 
Ellery  Sedgwick,  287 
Lawrence  E.  Sexton,  240 
Bishop  Shahan,  178 
John  C.  Sharpe,  216 
Isaac  Sharpless,  176 
Stuart  P.  Sherman,  302 
William  Sloane,  152 
William  Milligan  Sloane,  315 
Edward  H.  Smiley,  209 
Alexander  Smith,  271 
Edgar  F.  Smith,  174,  270 
Walter  George  Smith,  243 
H.  E.  Spalding,  245 
Alfred  Stearns,  44,  195 
Charles  P.  Steinmetz,  263 
Francis  Lynde  Stetson,  237 
E.  L.  Stewardson,  336 
George  C.  St.  John,  212 
Lewis  Buckley  Stillwell,  70, 

260 

Anson  Phelps  Stokes,  168 
Moorfield  Storey,  236 
T.  B.  Stork,  244 
G.  M.  Stratton,  322 
Charles  H.  Strout,  219 
R.  Clipston  Sturgis,  329 


William  Howard  Taft,  133 
Henry  Osborn  Taylor,  318 
Henry  A.  Terrell,  210 
Thomas  Thacher,  238 
Ezra  R.  Thayer,  227 
William  G.  Thayer,  201 
William  Sydney  Thayer,  250 
Max  Thelen,  151 
Calvin  Thomas,  312 
Robert  Ellis  Thompson,  217 
Newton  Thorpe,  321 
Charles  F.  Thwing,  184 
Henry  R.  Towne,  153 
L.  Scott  Townsend,  159 
Spencer  Trotter,  285 
Henry  van  Dyke,  296 
Victor  C.  Vaughan,  56,  249 
J.  Barnard  Walker,  291 
Benjamin  B.  Warfield,  224 
Henry  B.  Warren,  215 
Chauncey  W.  Wells,  305 
Robert  M.  Wenley,  322 
Benjamin  Ide  Wheeler,  190 
Morris  Whitridge,  154 
George  W.  Wickersham,  144 
Harvey  W.  Wiley,  270 
Talcott  Williams,  288 
H.  V.  Wilson,  283 
Woodrow  Wilson,  131 
John  B.  Winslow,  234 
Arthur  B.  Woodford,  208 
Theodore  S.  Woolsey,  231 
John  A.  Wyeth,  254 
Stanley  R.  Yarnall,  218 
John  M.  Zane,  247 


VI 
INDEX  OF  TOPICS 


INDEX  OF  TOPICS 


A.B.  degree,  Greek  in,  32 

Academies,  339,  340,  381 

Adriance,  W.  M.,  374-378 

Architecture,  333-336 

Aristotle,  9 

Astronomy,  266 

Attention,  12 

Augustine,  25 

Bacon,  Francis,  9 

Bankers,  155-159 

Biology,  60,  283 

Botany,  284,  285 

British  Statements,  345 

Business,  75,  79,  150 

Carlyle,  Thomas,  33 

Catullus,  24,  25 

Chemistry,  63,  174,  270 

Cicero,  title  page 

Classics:. 

College  Teaching  of,  11,  13 
Faults  in  Teaching,  9-13 
Grammar  in  Teaching,  16 
How  to  Teach,  13-17 
Literature  in  Teaching,  16 
Nature  of,  31,  32 
Objections  to,  9-13,  19-23 
Practical  Uses  of,  29 
Quoted,  title  page,  iii,  3,  4, 
6,   9,   14,    15,   17,   24,   25, 
26,  121 

Successful  Results  of,  17 
Teaching  of,  13-17 
Translations  of,  23-26 
True  place  of,  26-31 

Classical  Education:  see  Clas- 
sics 


395 


Classical   Teaching,   see   Clas- 
sics 

Colleges,  167,  383 

College      Entrance     Examina- 
tions, 364 

Comparative  Record, 

In    Entrance    Examinations, 

364-378 

In  School  Studies,  381-382 
In  College  Studies,  383-387 

"Content"  of  Studies,  8,  19,  20 

Cowper,  25 

Economics,  79,  321,  322 

Editors,  89,  93,  287 

Effort,  12 

Elective  System,  Free,  7 

Elementary  Education,  5,  6 

Engineering,  70,  175,  259 

English,  294 

English,   Classics   in,  23 

Ennius,  25 

Enrollment  in   Secondary 
Schools,  357-364 

Entrance     Examinations,    Col- 
lege, 364 

Examinations,  College  En- 
trance, 364 

Fine  Arts,  83,  325 

Flexner,  Abraham,  365,  368- 
370,  374,  378 

Forbes,  C.  H.,  368 

"Formal"  Discipline,  19-23 

Free  Elective  System,  7 

French,  309-311 

French  Statements,  349-354 

Geology,  66,  279,  280,  281 


396 


VALUE    OF    THE    CLASSICS 


German,  312,  313 

Greek  Enrollment  in  Schools, 

359 

Hancock,   Harris,   363-364 
Herodotus,  24,  121 
High   Schools,   339,   340,   363, 

381 

History,  314-320 
Homer,  24,  26 
Horace,  24 
Insurance,  160,  161 
''Interest,"  11,  12 
I  socrates,  iii 

Language  in  Education,  27,  28 
Latin  Enrollment  in  Schools, 

359 

Law,  48,  226 

Liberal  Education,  6,  27,  29-33 
Literature,  Modern,  294 
Livingstone,  R.  W.,  26 
Lowell,  James  Russell,  27 
Manufacturers,  75,  153,  154 
Mathematics,  265 
Medicine,  51,  56,  249 
Mill,  John  Stuart,  27 
Milton,  24 
Ministry,  223 

Modern  languages,  29,  32,  294 
Modern  Literature,  294 
Museums,  279,  280,  282,  326, 

328,  330. 
Music,  338 

Oriental  Studies,  338-345 
Painting,  337 
Percentages, 

In  Enrollment,  361 

In  Studies,  366,  370-374, 
375-378,  381-385 


Pharmacy,   286 

Philosophy,  322 

Physics,  73,  268 

Plato,  3,  4,  6,  24 

Political  Economy,  79,  321, 
322 

Political  Science,  320,  321 

Psychology,  21-23,  322,  323 

Public  Life,  131     - 

Publishers,   162-166 

Quintilian,   14,  15,  17 

Railways,  79,  150-152 

Sappho,  25 

Schools,  44,  195 

Science,  265 

Sculpture,  336 

Secondary  Schools,  339,  340 

Semitic  Studies,  339-345 

Shorey,  Paul,  27 

Sociology,  324 

Spanish,  311,  319 

Statistics,  357 
Erroneous,  375 

Stratton,  G.  M.,  22,  322 

Studies,  Record  in:  see  Com- 
parative Record 

Tacitus,  24 

Translations,  23 

Universities,  37,  41,  167 

Versions  of   Classics,   23-26 

Virgil,  25 

Vocational  Training,  5 

Wells,  H.  G.,  26 

Will,  12 

Zoology,  283 


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